Talk to me about GD tests...

[rugbywife]

So I am fairly certain I failed my 1 hour GD test that I took on Saturday. I don't know anything else at this point…just that my doc wants to see me. I can't make it until tomorrow morning (of course this shit happens on a day I have no car at work and can't leave anyways).  

I do know she is going to send me for further testing - I presume a 3 hour test - but could it be another 1 hour test if my results were close? Could my tests be messed up because I did it fasting?  

I know, I am sure all these questions will be answered when I see the doctor…just share stories if you want, lol.  I have GD on the brain. 

[Yankees21]

I failed by 2 points and had to then take the 3 hour. I was bummed, but passed the 3 hour with no problems.

[badtzmaru22]

I failed the one hour with DD, and had to take the 3hr. Twice, because you have to start over if you puke, which I did, fairly spectacularly, all over the exam room. (Had an OB appt upstairs from the lab, so they let me leave).

The next time, I took zofran, and passed. Drink TONS of water if you have to do the three hour!! G/l. Lots of people fail the one hour and pass the three

[rugbywife]

I might puke? Do I have to drink more of the orange drink for the 3 hour than I did for the 1 hour or do I just have to wait the 3 hours?

[Deleted]

I've had GD twice. If you fail the 1-hour, they'll have you do the 3-hour. You have to fast for the 3-hour, so schedule it in the morning so you're not starving all day long. You come in, they take your blood, you drink 1 container of the orange drink (same container you did for the 1-hour test). You have to stay at the doctors office, no food or drink, and they draw your blood at 1, 2, and 3 hours post-drink. So 4 blood draws total. My OB told me I had to start over if I puked, and that I couldn't drink water

If you fail the 3-hour you have GD. My OB sent me to a diabetes counselor, who went over the carb rules and showed me how to use the blood glucose meter. I'm happy to answer any other questions!

[rugbywife]

Jan 26, 2015 14:33:43 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

I've had GD twice. If you fail the 1-hour, they'll have you do the 3-hour. You have to fast for the 3-hour, so schedule it in the morning so you're not starving all day long. You come in, they take your blood, you drink 1 container of the orange drink (same container you did for the 1-hour test). You have to stay at the doctors office, no food or drink, and they draw your blood at 1, 2, and 3 hours post-drink. So 4 blood draws total. My OB told me I had to start over if I puked, and that I couldn't drink water

If you fail the 3-hour you have GD. My OB sent me to a diabetes counselor, who went over the carb rules and showed me how to use the blood glucose meter. I'm happy to answer any other questions!

How hard was it to stick to the diet? When I am pregnant I CRAVE carbs even more than usual. Obviously I will do whatever is best for the baby but I feel like it is going to be so hard.

[rugbywife]

Jan 26, 2015 14:38:36 GMT -5 Maud said:

If you failed the 1 hour, they'll have you take the 3 hour. It's weird they couldn't just tell you over the phone though since you'll have to go to the lab for the 3 hour as well.

Anyway, the 3 hour is 100g of glucose instead of 50g at the 1 hour test.

I was allowed to sip water between blood draws. If you have GD a few sips of water is not going to skew the results, I think.

They never tell me anything over the phone…but more or less she would tell me (secretary, not doc) that I need to do another test, I figure this means I either failed or maybe almost failed the 1 hour?  I thought maybe they would send me for another 1 hour if I was close? I would rather just go for the 3 hour than to go for another 1 hour and fail that too.

I could barely drink the 50g…100g with no water in between sips is going kill me. 

[suburbanzookeeper]

My OB stopped offering 1/3 hour tests and gives everyone the 2 hour (three draw - fasting, 1 hour, 2 hour) now. With DD she allowed me to take the 1 hour twice and I failed it by a few points both times and still went on to fail the 3 hour by a few points.

Just bring a book & a straw, it's easier to drink it down if you're not tasting too much of it. I had HG with DS so I spent my entire two hours laying in a ball in the corner of the lab, trying not to puke. I was not allowed to drink water or walk around (lab rules) and someone had to follow me to the bathroom to confirm I didn't vomit (automatic fail). You may want to ask your lab what they will/won't let you do.

The diet isn't bad. You're still eating carbs (better for you carbs, at least) and you may find certain foods may just be your triggers and you can eat others that are normally off-limits just fine. With DD I couldn't handle any form of rice at all but could eat potatoes, pasta, etc.

[londoncalling]

I failed the 1 hour by a slim margin and easily passed the 3 hour.

I was responsible for keeping my own time and making sure my draw was done within a certain window, so make sure you set your phone's timer JIC. It wasn't terrible, really.

[oliviapope]

Jan 26, 2015 14:38:00 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jan 26, 2015 14:33:43 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

I've had GD twice. If you fail the 1-hour, they'll have you do the 3-hour. You have to fast for the 3-hour, so schedule it in the morning so you're not starving all day long. You come in, they take your blood, you drink 1 container of the orange drink (same container you did for the 1-hour test). You have to stay at the doctors office, no food or drink, and they draw your blood at 1, 2, and 3 hours post-drink. So 4 blood draws total. My OB told me I had to start over if I puked, and that I couldn't drink water

If you fail the 3-hour you have GD. My OB sent me to a diabetes counselor, who went over the carb rules and showed me how to use the blood glucose meter. I'm happy to answer any other questions!

How hard was it to stick to the diet? When I am pregnant I CRAVE carbs even more than usual. Obviously I will do whatever is best for the baby but I feel like it is going to be so hard.

I actually passed the 1 hr by three points but they had me take the 3hr. I failed 2/4 draws so got the GD diagnosis.

I thought the diet would be tough, but it was pretty easy. It also made for super quick weight loss after baby. Also, since I was used to eating so healthy (I would not cheat at all) it was easy to continue eating healthy postpartum. I thought I would crave all the stuff I wanted but "couldn't have" but by then it had lost the appeal!

[jackpackage]

Jan 26, 2015 14:51:52 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Is my OB the only one who does two hour tests? I had a 1-hour with DS1 but with DS2 a 2-hour. She told me people were shifting in that direction since so many fail the one hour and pass the 3 hour. So now it's just a one-test-and-you're-done thing.

My OB practice (and I think most of them in our city) only does 3-hr tests because of the 1-hour failure rate. It sucks and was a torturous 3 hrs, but it's nice to only have to go in once. 

[rugbywife]

K, I failed, but apparently not by much and she said that she never picks up sugar in my urine so she thinks I will pass the two-hour test tomorrow…

I think it is ASININE that I did a 1 hour test with 50g of orange shit and now I have to do a 2 hour test with 75g. I wish we just had to do the 2 hour one to start with. Of course, that involves 3 vials of blood to test vs. one, so, yeah.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2015 14:38:00 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jan 26, 2015 14:33:43 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

I've had GD twice. If you fail the 1-hour, they'll have you do the 3-hour. You have to fast for the 3-hour, so schedule it in the morning so you're not starving all day long. You come in, they take your blood, you drink 1 container of the orange drink (same container you did for the 1-hour test). You have to stay at the doctors office, no food or drink, and they draw your blood at 1, 2, and 3 hours post-drink. So 4 blood draws total. My OB told me I had to start over if I puked, and that I couldn't drink water

If you fail the 3-hour you have GD. My OB sent me to a diabetes counselor, who went over the carb rules and showed me how to use the blood glucose meter. I'm happy to answer any other questions!

How hard was it to stick to the diet? When I am pregnant I CRAVE carbs even more than usual. Obviously I will do whatever is best for the baby but I feel like it is going to be so hard.

For me it's pretty damn hard. I love carbs normally, and CRAVE them when PG like you. But I do it b/c I have to, KWIM? A serving of carbs is 15g. The carbs guidelines I was given was:
1-2 servings at breakfast
3-4 servings at lunch
2-3 servings at dinner
0-1 servings for snacks.

Just for reference, 15g is a small apple, or 2 tbsp of peanut butter, or a small slice of whole wheat bread. You have to read labels and pay attention. Personally, I have to be on the low side of the serving suggestions to keep my blood sugar in line. But everyone is different.

I won't lie, it does suck. But you have to keep it under control, otherwise you're drastically increasing your AND the baby's risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. I try to remember "this diet is only temporary."

[rugbywife]

Jan 26, 2015 17:52:00 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

Jan 26, 2015 14:38:00 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

How hard was it to stick to the diet? When I am pregnant I CRAVE carbs even more than usual. Obviously I will do whatever is best for the baby but I feel like it is going to be so hard.

For me it's pretty damn hard. I love carbs normally, and CRAVE them when PG like you. But I do it b/c I have to, KWIM? A serving of carbs is 15g. The carbs guidelines I was given was:
1-2 servings at breakfast
3-4 servings at lunch
2-3 servings at dinner
0-1 servings for snacks.

Just for reference, 15g is a small apple, or 2 tbsp of peanut butter, or a small slice of whole wheat bread. You have to read labels and pay attention. Personally, I have to be on the low side of the serving suggestions to keep my blood sugar in line. But everyone is different.

I won't lie, it does suck. But you have to keep it under control, otherwise you're drastically increasing your AND the baby's risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. I try to remember "this diet is only temporary."

I know I can do it, I am just dumb and essentially use pregnancy as an excuse to eat crap I would never normally eat.  

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2015 18:15:06 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jan 26, 2015 17:52:00 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

For me it's pretty damn hard. I love carbs normally, and CRAVE them when PG like you. But I do it b/c I have to, KWIM? A serving of carbs is 15g. The carbs guidelines I was given was:
1-2 servings at breakfast
3-4 servings at lunch
2-3 servings at dinner
0-1 servings for snacks.

Just for reference, 15g is a small apple, or 2 tbsp of peanut butter, or a small slice of whole wheat bread. You have to read labels and pay attention. Personally, I have to be on the low side of the serving suggestions to keep my blood sugar in line. But everyone is different.

I won't lie, it does suck. But you have to keep it under control, otherwise you're drastically increasing your AND the baby's risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. I try to remember "this diet is only temporary."

I know I can do it, I am just dumb and essentially use pregnancy as an excuse to eat crap I would never normally eat.  

I did the same thing, I feel you. Have courage, you may pass the next test!

[estrellita]

I failed my 1 hour by 10 points and also failed the 3 hour (the last 2 draws were abnormal). The second test was twice as much glucose. First drink was lemon lime and the second was orange, which I preferred, but it was super sweet. I felt sick afterwards but they let me have a little bit of water so that helped. It sucked being poked 4 times in 3 hours, but that's nothing compared to poking my fingers 4 times a day now!

If you happen to fail, don't blame yourself. It really doesn't have anything to do with what you're doing, it's your body not processing things correctly. If it helps, mine has been very well controlled by diet and exercise. I still have 4 weeks, but overall my numbers have been great. My higher numbers have been because of something I ate or not being active. It sucks to stay away from some of my favorite foods (chocolate, potatoes, apple juice, all of which I still have very small amounts of occasionally), but I'm eating healthier, so that's a bonus. If you do happen to fail, feel free to PM me and I can give you some tips. My meal plan is slightly different than what was posted above (30 carbs max for breakfast and snacks, 60 for lunch and dinner). I have to be careful but for the most part I can eat normally. Protein helps!

FX you pass!

[sarahsas]

I took the two hour today. I had to drink 75 of the lemon lime flavor. My doc does the two hour standard so her patients don't have to do a 1 hour and three hour if they fail the first one. I've learned in reading a lot of different experiences about GD that doctors do it differently! It seems like some want you to fast, some don't, and a lot more differences.

[Deleted]

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

[chicago]

I remember my mom telling me (she was a diabetic educator for most of her life) that they lowered the threshold for the one hour test limits because they used to miss a lot of women with GD under the old guidelines. It's much better to make women go through the three hour test and pass than not diagnose a population that has GD.

I had GD with my dd. There were ups and downs. The diet wasn't horrible, but I got sick of eating peanut butter, eggs, cheese sticks. My body couldn't tolerate some carbs and my GD got harder to manage toward the end of my pregnancy. I eventually took a small amount of Glyburide to keep everything under control the last few weeks.

Good luck tomorrow!

[isabel]

Jan 26, 2015 22:40:56 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

I don't know anything about the GD diet, but can you have dairy? Full fat cottage cheese has quite a bit of protein and you could have it with fruit or tomatoes. I eat a good amount of smoked salmon with eggs, so that might be a nice meat change.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2015 23:06:30 GMT -5 isabel said:

Jan 26, 2015 22:40:56 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

I don't know anything about the GD diet, but can you have dairy? Full fat cottage cheese has quite a bit of protein and you could have it with fruit or tomatoes. I eat a good amount of smoked salmon with eggs, so that might be a nice meat change.

Depends on the dairy. Milk has too much carbs, cheese is fine. I dislike cottage cheese so that's out. Fruit has carbs, so if I have fruit then the rest of the meal has to be no carbs. Salmon is a good idea, thanks!

[starlily]

Jan 26, 2015 22:40:56 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

I did a variety of eggs and egg casseroles, but also threw in the following every once in a while:

- rye toast with almond butter
- rye toast with havarti cheese, smoked salmon, and sliced cucumbers
- sweet potato and chorizo hash
- Think Thin Crunch or Lara Uber bar with string cheese

The RD told me the first time I had GD that breakfast should only have a max of 15g of carbs, but I found I was able to tolerate up to 30g without my numbers being affected at all. The impact of GD is so individualized, there will always be a little trial and error to figure out what works for you.

ETA: rugbywife - I had it twice. The first time I failed the one hour spectacularly, almost 100 points over the max allowed. I started the diet immediately, but was put on Metformin before each meal after a week. The second time I failed the one hour by a little bit and then failed the three hour by just a few points. This boat recent time it was controlled by diet and exercise. And not much exercise was required for me - just a 20-30 minute stroll after dinner.

[disappointedkittens]

Am I remembering right that you are canadian? If so the second test is 2 hours. I had gd and once I got over the initial shock rhe diet was fine and I figured things out ok and ended up with a healthy normal sized baby. One other thing was that some of the research I did was based on us care standards and I found that things were a bit more relaxed here so I did some unnecessary worrying
So good luck passing and if not it sounds like you are in good company.

[hrp22]

I failed the 1 hr and opted to just pretend like I failed the 3 HR and not go through with it. I go to my GD class tomorrow. I'd rather that than fast pregnant and drink that glucose again. I've done the 3 hr not pregnant and it wasn't fun. I cannot imagine it pregnant. I also have insulin resistance in my medical history, so I kind of figured I'd fail the 3 hr anyhow. I've been sticking to a GD friendly diet the last couple weeks and while I do want some sweets, it's been a lot easier saying no to dessert when I've got a baby to be mindful of.

[rugbywife]

Jan 27, 2015 0:44:35 GMT -5 disappointedkittens said:

Am I remembering right that you are canadian? If so the second test is 2 hours. I had gd and once I got over the initial shock rhe diet was fine and I figured things out ok and ended up with a healthy normal sized baby. One other thing was that some of the research I did was based on us care standards and I found that things were a bit more relaxed here so I did some unnecessary worrying
So good luck passing and if not it sounds like you are in good company.

Yep. 2 hour test. It's been fine, I get my last draw in 5 minutes. Haven't had any reactions or side effects other than the baby being active the last 10 minutes.

[mlvmd]

My GD was very easily controlled so this may not be helpful but I ate nonfat plain Greek yogurt for breakfast with either half a banana or blueberries in it with some chia seeds and a tablespoon or two of high protein granola or Swiss muesli in it. I could only eat so many eggs.

I never had a high reading after that, but again I didn't really get any high readings.

[estrellita]

Jan 26, 2015 22:40:56 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

I pretty much eat the same thing every morning, haha. An English muffin with peanut butter and some unsweetened soy milk. Luckily this was pretty much my breakfast of choice before GD anyways! My numbers are always in the 110s-120s after this. I also occasionally have one of those Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, although I learned that the sausage ones seem to be worse for me than the Canadian bacon ones weirdly enough. I had a super high number after eating the sausage one but I never have after eating the other one. Eggs and meat with toast (low sugar jelly if you're going to use it, otherwise butter and/or PB) are always a good option but I can see how you could get sick of it!

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2015 19:03:44 GMT -5 estrellita said:

Jan 26, 2015 22:40:56 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

@estrellita what do you eat for breakfast? That's the meal I'm having the most trouble with. I'm tired of eggs and bacon or sausage!

I pretty much eat the same thing every morning, haha. An English muffin with peanut butter and some unsweetened soy milk. Luckily this was pretty much my breakfast of choice before GD anyways! My numbers are always in the 110s-120s after this. I also occasionally have one of those Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, although I learned that the sausage ones seem to be worse for me than the Canadian bacon ones weirdly enough. I had a super high number after eating the sausage one but I never have after eating the other one. Eggs and meat with toast (low sugar jelly if you're going to use it, otherwise butter and/or PB) are always a good option but I can see how you could get sick of it!

Thanks for the ideas. I can't have that many carbs at breakfast unfortunately. I can have 1 serving to stay within the right levels, that's all.

[estrellita]

Jan 27, 2015 21:12:17 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

Jan 27, 2015 19:03:44 GMT -5 estrellita said:

I pretty much eat the same thing every morning, haha. An English muffin with peanut butter and some unsweetened soy milk. Luckily this was pretty much my breakfast of choice before GD anyways! My numbers are always in the 110s-120s after this. I also occasionally have one of those Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, although I learned that the sausage ones seem to be worse for me than the Canadian bacon ones weirdly enough. I had a super high number after eating the sausage one but I never have after eating the other one. Eggs and meat with toast (low sugar jelly if you're going to use it, otherwise butter and/or PB) are always a good option but I can see how you could get sick of it!

Thanks for the ideas. I can't have that many carbs at breakfast unfortunately. I can have 1 serving to stay within the right levels, that's all.

Oh boo I can have up to 30 carbs but I do have to avoid sweet things in the morning. I can do an English muffin but not like a dense bagel. Could you do those Bagel Thins with plain cream cheese or peanut butter? I'm not sure how many carbs are in those but it should be somewhat low.