Special diet before GTT or not?

[belfie]

Ok I'm confused. I've read in some places that people have to do a special 3 day diet before doing the 2 hr fasting glucose tolerance test. I've just found out I have to do the 2 day GTT after failing the screening, but have had no instruction re diet. I'm gonna call in the morning (hoping I can just go in and do it tomorrow & get the darn thing out of the way). But I'm really wondering what is the deal with the 3-day diet? Is it really necessary?

FYI I'm doing the test through Dorevitch.

[SamiH]

I don't know, but hope you pass with flying colours. I have heard of people avoiding overly sugary things like chocolate, sweet biscuits, soft drink the day before the screening, but unsure with the biggie.

Good luck!!

[MantaRay]

Belfie, yes, for the GTT, (the two hour fasting one) you have to have a high carb diet for 2 or 3 days before hand. This is really important as your result will not be accurate otherwise. GL, the fasting is the worst part, but it's not too bad if you go first thing in the morning. Oh BTW, you have to book for it too.

[belfie]

Thanks Sami & MantaRay! Sounds like it won't be tomorrow then, thanks for the heads up - it's good to know not to expect it.

I wonder if you've been eating high carb anyway, would they accept that? Or does it have to be their specific diet? (which I won't be able to follow anyway due to pre-existing dietary restrictions that I have...)... will be interesting to see.

[MantaRay]

There is no specific diet, you just have to have eaten a lot of carbs. If you have done that anyway you should be fine. But you need to fast from midnight, and you usually have to book in, so you probably couldn't do it tomorrow now anyway. You could always try though - turn up and say you didn't know. Or book in for the next day.

[livgoesagain]

There always has to be the one to dissent - sorry.

I had GD with DS and tomorrow am going in for a GTT for DD. I also did one at about 11 weeks this time round because of my previous ob history. My ob is a high risk ob and hasn't mentioned the high carb diet to me - I just need to fast from 12am (water is allowed) the night before. I'm just eating as normal prior which I've done the previous two times. My instructions have been the same with both obs I've had as well.

I also did the first GTT at Dorevitch - just walked in and made sure they knew I was doing the GTT so they will slot me in straight away. Usually you don't even need to take a number. Tomorrow I'm doing it at the Royal Women's labs (only cause I'm seeing my ob in the meantime) and no appointment necessary. However, it may be different in other states etc. I'd just turn up after having fasted.

Good-luck and I hope you are one of the many who fail the first and pass the second.

[MantaRay]

Liv, if you haven't had a high carb diet beforehand, it can make your reading higher than it should be. Was your diagnosis of GD based on the results of the GTT only? Because if so, and you didn't have a high carb diet before hand, there is a chance that your reading was artificially high and you didn't really have GD at all.

I have seen the difference in readings - I accidently did the GTT without a high carb diet the first time and was on the line between normal and GD levels. I did it again with a high carb diet first and was way below.

[belfie]

Well after all that it turns out that Dorevitch don't specify the high carb diet and you don't need to make an appointment! So i trotted in this morning to do it... was fine fine fine for the first 1 1/2 hours... then felt quite faint then suddenly blech all over the waiting room floor (in front of a happily entranced audience!). So that's a pain. So does anyone know if being sick is a good or bad sign? I knew I wasn't supposed to vomit, but it just happened before I'd really registered

So they stopped the test, they'll see what they make of the first two measurements (baseline & 1 hour) and i guess if they look bad I'll need to do it again?? Anyone been in this situation before? I'm also going to pursue questioning re the high carb diet too - interesting re your experience MantaRay. So saying, I think my diet the last 3 days was pretty high carb anyway.

Btw, livgoesagain, good luck with test and I notice your due date is close to mine - you should come join us in our Belly Buddies group for due date Oct 1-15 here

[MantaRay]

Best of luck with the results Belfie. I hope you don't have to do it again. FWIW I felt incredibly ill as a result of the fasting. I can't go without food that long even when not pg. So I understand how easily it could happen.

[livgoesagain]

Hi MantaRay,

Thanks for the concern, but I highly doubt it. Firstly, I felt really unwell coming into the third trimester. I thought it was normal not having been pregnant before, but once I was diagnosed with GD and was on the diet, I felt 100% better. I believe that some people are asymptomatic, but I really felt so generally yuck, like I'd always overindulged in really heavy decadent foods.

Secondly, even following the diet I would have some ridiculously high readings and the only way we were able to get my blood sugars down was to control via insulin which we started at about 31-32 weeks.

Son was born at 36.5 weeks due to PE (later onset) and he weighed 3050g. I hate to imagine how big he would have been had I gone undiagnosed and full term. Bear in mind that I'm only 5'2 borderline weight and hubby is about 5'8 very lean. Neither of us was a big baby and it certainly isn't something that seems to run in either of our families.

I just had my GTT this morning for DD and I have been feeling and felt during the test completely different. Not sick or anything. Fingers crossed that it just hasn't returned. People aren't kidding when they say each pregnancy feels different. But I've also heard lots of people say they were sick during the test and passed without problem, it just seems to be my experience.

Good luck Belfie, I hope all goes well with you GTT. If you do happen to fail, the one benefit I found of GD was that I was back at pre-preg weight within three weeks due to the restricted diet in last trimester! Don't know if I'd want to give up the chocolate like that again though.