Gestational Diabetes General Chatter #2

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Great to hear, Sandles.
Congrats on your levels.

It's getting easier for me, lately. It took me about 2weeks to adjust, but I'm going okay now, I think. Lol. I've been getting in the 5's. I got a 4.9 after lunch yesterday, which is odd. I did exercise before testing though, cause I didn't have anything all that great. You know, nans and the old style cooking with fat.. Lol.

So how long have you got to go, Sandles?

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I am 30 weeks so still a while to go.

I met some friends for lunch today and had a sandwich from the deli. The bread was wholegrain but thick. I pulled a 6 which is high for me so I am definitely finding that bread is not my friend. I stick to the Molenberg range for lunch times and that sits ok with my levels.

Cazmx, the only urine test I have had was when I did the GTT test at the hospital. I asked why and they told me that you can tell alot about someone through their wee, such as when they last ate and keatones (??) :confused:

This urine test strip im guessing is normal practice in the hospital im attending Because the admin lady tells you when u first arrive to do your pee strip, its like a pool chlorine pool test strip, u dip it in the urine and theres little pads on it that change colour if there is a trace of glucose or protein. I Have had a proper urine test that had to be done at the lab when i was 12 weeks. doesn anyone else have these test strips done at their appointments? and if so had traces of glucose?

ah urine tests...the good old days...you know blood testing wasn't invented until the 1980s so before that all we had was wee strips for glucose testing...very inaccurate but served a purpose. They are killing two birds with one stone really cos they are looking for that protein and as yet there is no simple blood test for that which can be done on the spot at a widwife appointment.
urine tests are great to show if your kidneys are spilling any glucose but not really any good at telling how much glucose is in the bloodstream. ho hum...takes me back that does!!

Every visit I have to take my little cup of wee and they do the strip test. They are looking for protein in the urine which can indicate kidney problems caused by pre eclampsia and diabetes. I did one a couple of weeks back that showed traces of blood as well (sorry TMI). He gave very little info on it but was not worried and the next test was all clear, so guess it was a once off!

I have to test my wee each time I go and record if there is any glucose or protien. I've got diabetes and the glucose test has always been negative though I have had traces of protien. My diabetes was diagnosed through a blood test because my keytones were 3+++ whatever that means. So I didn't have to do the yucky GTT.

Hi

I've been a bit of a lurker on the forums for a while. I first found bb when we had a downs scare at 20 weeks and had to have an amnio (everything fine luckily) but have had a dreadful pregnancy, including extreme MS (four times on drips and lost 11kgs), aneamia, low blood pressure and now GD.

My GTT was only 8.2 (d'oh) and I have been testing my blood for the last two days and have had a couple of highs (7.2, 7.7) and a couple of exacts (5.0,7.0) but am in that 'lets see how this affects me" stage lol. I had one month of people (ie Mum and hubby) congratulating me on eating doughnuts and chocolate (at least your keeping something down) now its all, "you're going to eat that?" lol. So I've cut out all the sugary badness I love so much.

My biggest problem at the moment is the anaemia and low blood pressure means people are telling me not to exercise too much etc because I have these fainting spells.

Has anyone else had this combination of problems? I guess I'm just having a bit of a whinge lol, and wanted to introduce myself. I've found bb really helpful and useful over the last couple of months. I'm hoping that over the next few days I can really keep my levels within range so I can show I can do it on diet alone, and that the next seven weeks speed by!

Dammit I just tried to test my blood after dinner and the bloody thing won't calibrate grrrrr. I really wanted to see how the little piece of lasagne and salad affected me. So annoyed.

I have been fairly lucky so far (touch wood). My next apt with the diabetes doctor is Thursday next week and my levels have been great, only 2 or 3 at 7.4 and that has been my highest. Otherwise I have kept them under <7.0 and my first one of the morning has always been under <5.5. So, I am pretty happy with myself. Just have to keep it up. We were out for dinner last week and I had potato chips with dinner because I was so hungry. I was going to leave them on the plate, but I was just too hungry. Anyway, my reading was 7.4, which is high but not too bad.

I have been exercising as well and noticing I am really hungry so sometimes I eat more than I should of the rice portions, but because I am eating low-gi rice, it isn't affecting the levels too much (what a relief!!!).

I have a question for everyone out there. I wasn't feeling baby move much yesterday so I thought I would push up my BSL as that usually gets the little guy going. When I mentioned to my Ob this morning what I had done, he said that I had probably done more harm than good. I always thought that continual high readings were bad for the baby, but I didn't know that one-off readings which were high could be harmful. Anybody have any idea why? My sugar hit about 9.0, so not hugely excessive.

9 is high according to my doctors and I would not be happy going there. But my doctors also say that you can go high once in a while, just so long as you know WHY the number was high. Having said that I am blessed with low numbers. My birthday yesterday and I ate italian bread, baked potato then a slice of cheesecake and I got 5.1. My family was stunned. Not sure what happened but I was expecting my highest number so far.

Jesstibb - I have anameia on top of everything but my blood pressure is good this time round. It was very low with my first baby and I had to record my blood pressure everyday. I have also had an amnio this pregnancy after 5 miscarriages between this bub and my 4 year old. I also had down syndrome confirmed with my last miscarriage at 4 months gestation. That was not fun as you can imagine. Emergency D&C, genetic testing on DH and I (which came back clear) and an autopsy type procedure on the fetus. :cry: So being told I have GD this time round, I just shrug my shoulders and wonder what nature will throw at me next. Apparently the factor causing all this is my age and drawing the short straw to quote my oby. I turned 36 yesterday. I am normal weight, no history of GD or diabetes in the family at all and a good diet.

I had a quarter pounder for lunch - no fries. Reading was 5.3! (low).

I had two english muffins with a little marg and vegemete for lunch and my reading was 7.6! On Wednesday I had the same thing and had 5.2. Is it usual to have such different readings for the same food?

I had one of my funny dizzy spells this morning and have been wiped all day could that affect it?

Yes that is strange Jess....

Maybe you were more or less active after you had eaten it?

I sometimes think the monitor is full of !!!!!!

Jesstibb my readings change even if I eat the same thing. It could be low gi porridge or a couple of pieces of toast and one day my reading will be in range the next not. This happens mostly in the mornings for me, I think my pancreas is slow to wake up!

I find the McDOnalds (except for the fries) is OK. THis is good since I seem to have a thing for Big Macs at the moment!

Well done Caz! Thats a hoot! :lol: I soooo felt like a cheeseburger the other day but gave in to ham on toast LOL.

Yeah, I too find once in a while a bizarre reading (for me) after something I have eaten quite well before. I'm talking a 6 instead of a 4 something, so not bad but still weird for me. Somedays too I don't feel like testing as I know my levels will be in the range. Anyone else feel lazy about it too sometimes?

Yeah I think we all do, but that is just because we are tired as well..... I have to try and remember the first thing in the morning reading, because I am always half-asleep and sometimes forget until my hubby reminds me.

Yeh I hear you sandles. I have to test every day, four times a day. Sometimes I forget because I'm busy and just leave it blank. If I eat late because it's hot I don't test because I'm not staying up till 11.30 just for BSL's.

Last night I had for dinner chicken in a red sauce with mushrooms, zuchinni and chilli with vegetables. I ate the 2 very small baby potatoes. Then my friends wanted to get gelato so I had some of that too, and 2 hours later I got a reading of 4.4 I was like what the?? Weird.... especially having the gelato I wasn't sure if that would put me way above 7.0 or not, but 4.4?? Maybe my tester didn't test right.

Shell, the chicken would have slowed down the absorption of the potatoes, and chances are the gelato gave you a quick sugar high which had dropped by the time you tested it 2 hours later. It also could have depended on what the gelato was made of I guess.

Ahhh thanks Kirsten :-) That is interesting to know that chicken would have slowed down the absorption of potatoes, I didn't know that......

it wouldn'e be the chicken so much but the combined GI that affected your BSL. Most of the foods you listed had very little carb content therefore are low gi andwhen you combine the GI of foods it sort of averages out in a funny sort of way. That is not an excuse to go have a magnum with broccoli however!!!
Also if any of it was baked and had a fat content, fat slows down digestion in a big way and slows the uptake of glucose as well so that could have played a part. As for the gelato that had more than likely been and gone by the two hours...now if you had done a onehour test you might have got a nasty shock!! :)

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. All my tests today were below the limits woohoo!
I'm slightly reducing my portion sizes and trying to add protein to make up for less carbs. (Hard for this carb loving three square meals a day girl lol)

One thing I'd like to ask, I'm a lazy cook and usually go for the easiest meal or snack at hand, does anyone have any suggestions for prepackaged snacks like muesli bars or cake mixes (don't have time to make from scratch) or any other brand name suggestions? I tried searching the internet but couldn't really find anything.

Hi Jess,
I have found muesli bars to be great, but only the ones which are advertised as low GI. ALso Up & Go drinks are fantastic as well as they give you some of the calcium you need when pregnant. I usually have these for brekky when I'm in a hurry, but have used them for morning and afternoon teas as well. Also the frozen meals like Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice are great as they are portion controlled and have some carbs in them to satisfy those cravings. Also a glass of milk with milo is surprisingly filling and tasty.

I found a site that said that Special K has a lower GI than weet bix so I bought some and had a decent sized bowl this morning with a teeensy bit of sugar (i'm only human) and my test was below limit, so theres another breakfast option if anyone is sick of porridge or weetbix.:)

Interesting about the gelato. I had a similar thing happen with my birthday. I bought a mango cheesecake for everyone but I decided at the last minute to have a piece. It was a very small piece and I couldn't finish it. Too sweet. My reading was lower than I expected (and everybody stayed behind til I did my test as they were curious too!). Having said that, I had a mild tummy ache and a few toilet stops before bed. Wasn't pleasant. So I am guessing the sugar did have an effect on me. Today at work they had a b-day morning tea for me and another lass. I declined the cake this time though (after what happened last time!) and just ate my morning tea of vita weats and cheese with a plum.

I am finding that any sugar cravings I was getting when I started this are gone, and now a milk arrowroot is suprisingly sweet to me. I'd probably puke after a mouthful of coke I think!

Not sure about "quick" foods Jess. The dietian told us to stay clear of museli bars, diabetes or no diabetes and I haven't tried a lean cuisine meal yet. A quick lunch for me would be ham on toast and a serve of fruit. I am diligent about the ham I use though and generally cut it from a leg myself.

Yoghurts are also good. I use Vaalia low fat. They are thick and filling.

My DD starts pre-school this year and so I bought us both the same cool bag and decor lunch boxes with the fork in the lid. You can use the forks as a spoon too. And so each morning (including weekends if we are going to be out and about) I pack a day worth of food for her (so she can practice before school starts) and for me. We put a pink frozen block in to keep everything cool. So for what takes maybe 15mins maximum in the morning, leaves me free to not think of food for the rest of the day. Happy to post what I pack if anyone is interested. I'd appreciate food ideas too.

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I found a site that said that Special K has a lower GI than weet bix so I bought some and had a decent sized bowl this morning with a teeensy bit of sugar (i'm only human) and my test was below limit, so theres another breakfast option if anyone is sick of porridge or weetbix.:)

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Hi Jess,

I recall my dietian saying that Special K is ok and sprinkle of sugar is fine. I think the only down side is the lack of fibre compared to the other cereals. But maybe add another piece of fruit in there somewhere to make up for that? My only gripe with cereals is that I am hungry an hour after eating. So I'll stick to my boring porridge LOL

yeah I get hungry after eating cereals as well. I have been eating a gluten free muesli which is really yummy but then an hour later I am hungry again....mind you that is not everyday.

If you're after something more interesting for breakfat I have found omlettes to be fantastic. You can pretty much put in anything you want and it will not affect your BSL. Stay away from toast though. I love an omlette with cheeses bacon and mushroom, but I sometimes add sun dried tomatoes for an extra taste.

I have a kambrook omlette maker and its a god send. I highly recommend omlettes too.

Yeah I love omlettes :-)

I have my next apointment with the diabetes doctor tomorrow and my blood sugar levels have been great, all under 7.0. There have only been 2 instances where they have been 7.4, so I am pretty happy with how it has been going.

Just wondering what kinda muesli bars are you all having?
I can't find any good ones, and I get disappointed.

I've never though about an omelete for breakfast.
Thanks.


Wow. I thought McDonalds would make your levels go really high.
I'd like to try and see what it does to me one day.

I'm not sure if anyone here is like me and actually had diabetes beforehand and not gestational diabetes.
If there is, I was wondering if they still made you do the GTT...

Tennykins, I am having a bit of a clash with my Ob at the moment who thinks that what I have is actually TYpe 2 not GD. A test in Sept 06 said that I didn't have it, but he reckons that because of my age it is now type 2. My endocoronologist is interested to see if everything goes back to normal after the birth, but since I have afamily history of it, he can't guarantee it.
And as for testing I cn'at imagine they would. WHat would it say - that yes you had diabetes? You already knew that! I think they are more interested in your long term control if you have existing diabetes, and are more concerned with readings going down rather than up.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if they'd make me do it. Lol. yeah, it's not like they can tell me I have diabetes twice. LOLLLL!
I've been going really well lately with my levels, they're in the 5's with a few 4's.

I hope yours goes back to normal after the birth. Good luck with that.
xx

If you have already have diabetes they will definitely not make you do the GTT...YAY for me!! They would never knowingly put you or your baby at risk to do a test that will give them absolitely no information and could in fact make you quite ill.


Muesli Bars in general are EVIL!! Best avoided most of them. I don't know of any that are low GI as they are all stuck together with bits of honey and lovely gooey bits

I occasionally eat the Uncle TOby's Muesli Bars as they are advertised as Low GI on the box. Apparently all of the oats and stuff in them slow down the absortion of the sugars. That siad I don't eat them all the time as sometimes they can push my sugar to high 6's, but if it comes down to that or gorgoing on something sweet and evil, then I figure it is a good trade off.

I went to see the diabetes doctor this morning and he said that I really need to get my levels below 6.9 so I don't have to go on insulin. He said if I get over 7.0 in the next few days I will have to go straight onto insulin eeeeeek so I am going to be extremely strict on myself now.

How is everyone else going?

All my readings have been below 5.5 and 7 since Sunday which I'm really pleased with. Especially because I haven't seen a dietician or educator since they quickly gave me the glucose monitor Tuesday week ago! We were supposed to go Tuesday morning but the educator called at 8.15am saying she forgot they had some meeting with the dept of health or something :angry: Like she couldn't have checked her diary the day before, when hubby hadn't organised morning off work and we had got sitter for Miss 3!

Anyway, I've been devouring the threads on here and the internet in general, bought myself some diabetic magazines and cookbooks and pretty much trying to educate myself lol.

I guess the most important thing I've found is to reduce my carb portion and to have protein with my meals. Its made me think alot more about what I put in my gob.

Shell, sorry to hear about your readings. My Dr said I had to keep my readings below 6.8, which I found to be really hard since I was so hungry all the time. Insulin is not a bad thing. It takes some of the worry out of what you eat as you can always have a little bit more insulin if you need it. I have been giving myself 3 shots a day since September and I have worked out that I only have about 32 more days to do it!
Good luck with your readings!

Thanks Kirsten. I just seem so stressed about the thought of going onto insulin so I am doing all that I can to prevent it. I just had my lunch and had roast beef (all lean - no fat) with sweet potato and veges. I am hoping that in 2 hours time my blood sugar levels will be below 6.9. But I agree Kirsten, it is very very hard that is for sure. I try to keep my serving size down especially with rice, which can sometimes be the culprit. I can't eat rice noodles because everytime I do, my levels go above 7.4. It is a great learning experience though I will give them that....