Need some diabetes education here... - Diabetes Message Board

pumpkinpatch73 · 07-02-2003, 08:24 AM

Hi everyone. I'm hoping that someone can help me! This might be long, so bear with me.

I am currently 11 weeks pregnant and went for a glucose screening, due to a family history of diabetes (It is EVERYWHERE on my mother's side of the family). My 12 hour fasting came back at 70 and then the 1 hour came back at 171. My understanding is that it shouldn't have gone over 130.

The doctor has given me the option of doing the 3 hour screening or to go ahead and start counting carbs and doing my blood sugar 2 hours after each meal. Last night was the first time. Two hours after dinner, it came back at 29. Isn't that a little low?

I am just concerned. I'm not taking any insulin or doing anything except for monitoring my diet.

Does anyone have any insight on this? Also, is there a website that has the normal levels? Or are normal levels different during pregnancy?

One last note......I was told that during the test, what I had was the equivalent to a can of soda. I almost NEVER drink soda. When/if I do, I certainly don't "down it" in 5 min. Could that also play a role into why my number was so high, and it possibly could've been wrong?

Sorry for babbling. I hope someone can edcuate me on all of this!

horsejody · 07-02-2003, 09:06 AM

I would count carbs and check my blood sugar 2 hours after each meal. If that reading of 29 was accurate, you would have been not feeling well, light headed, etc. Whenever you get an extreme reading like that and you are feeling "normal," double check it. Sometimes if you do not have enough blood on the strip or if your finger is very wet (a drop of water may mix with the blood and dilute it), you can get a false low reading. Also, always wash your hands before testing. Things like lotions and food residues can give you false high readings.
Good Luck!
Jody

mama8 · 07-03-2003, 09:35 PM

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy!! How exciting! And how scary, too!

Yes, most things are different during pregnancy and I seem to remember that bg's are a bit different, too. That has been years ago, so they may have changed things, but I would call your OB doctor and ask him what your expected levels should be.

A 29 two hours after a meal is very, very low, whether you are pregnant or not!! I would question the accuracy of that unless you felt really awful. Is this a new machine?

If you don't mind checking your bg's, it would be easy for you to see how foods affect you by doing that. Just check before meals and after meals, one hour and two hours, making notes of what you have eaten and what activities you have done (walking, exercising, etc). Of course check fastings, too.

I has gestational diabetes three times and was able to control it by diet alone. However, after my third child, it stuck around and not I am a full blown type II on oral meds. Do you realize that you cannot take oral meds while you are pregnant? This is an added incentive to stay on a good diet, because if your blood sugars get too high you would have to go on insulin rather than oral medications. The reason for this is that the oral meds pass through to the baby and the insulin does not.

I hope this helps some! Blessings to you and your little one!

Ramona

PegZ · 07-04-2003, 05:26 AM

Hi there! I had gestational diabetes during two pregnancies and I was able to control it completely with diet. I just now got out Eating Expectantly (a book by Bridget Swinney). I used that book to give me the proper diet. In that book, it says that your body needs two to three times more insulin during pregnancy because of increased body weight and increased levels of hormones that work against insulin. It is always hard for me to stick to any diet but I was VERY motivated because of the baby. You should keep that in mind. Check out: [url="http://www.diabetestoolbox.com/diabetesdiet.asp."]http://www.diabetestoolbox.com/diabetesdiet.asp.[/url] It provides a lot of information on gestational diabetes.

You might be interested in the following paragraph: "A woman has gestational diabetes when she is pregnant and has any two of the following: a fasting plasma glucose of more than 105 mg/dl, a 1-hour glucose level of more than 190 mg/dl, a 2-hour glucose level of more than 165 mg/dl, or a 3-hour glucose level of more than 145 mg/dl." I found that at [url="http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/diagnosis.html."]http://www.endocrineweb.com/diabetes/diagnosis.html.[/url]

After I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, my OB sent me to see a dietitian. She gave me a sample of what my diet should be. It was very helpful. I would ask your OB for some kind of referral.

Good luck. Pregnancy is a complicated time without this mess but once you get on the meal plan, you'll be alright. Just remember the great prize you get when your pregnancy is over!!!

Feel free to email me at peggy@go-concepts.com if you want to talk about it more.

Take care of yourself,

PegZ