GD vs Type 2?

Ven83

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Gestational
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all!

I’m 32 weeks pregnant, and I’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes for about a month. I was referred to a 2 hour glucose test on account of family members with type 2 diabetes. My 2 hour result was well within the normal range (5.8), but my fasting sugar was just over the limit in my area (5.6)

Before my test I would often give in to pregnancy cravings and binge on 'bad' carbs. I’ve since eliminated all sweets, white bread, pasta and rice, and my diet is based on veggies, meat, fish, eggs and cheese, with olive oil and nuts. I eat 1-2 slices of high protein bread a day, and I can have 2-3 new potatoes per meal without going over the limit. I’ve been able to control my levels with diet alone, except for the morning/fasting sugar which fluctuates between 5.1 and 6.2. I’m supposed to keep it under 5.5. I tried different night time snack strategies, but without much luck. As the levels have been slowly creeping up the doc now decided to put me on metformin over night.

It’s exhausting having to be so obsessed with food and carb counting every single day, as well as testing 6 times a day, but knowing it’s a temporary situation makes it easier.

So finally, here’s my question: is there any way of knowing, short of waiting for post-birth testing, if my diabetes is gestational or a previously undiagnosed type 2? I understand that my test results and the levels I’ve been getting since I started monitoring would be considered normal/non-diabetic if I weren’t pregnant. Is there any logic in thinking that if I had type 2, my levels would have spiked more with the onslaught of pregnancy hormones?

There are reasons for my concern. Several years ago a random blood test showed my fasting level at 7.1. My GP at the time decided to repeat the test a couple of days later and this time the fasting level was at 4.7. He concluded I may have pre-diabetes and advised lifestyle changes. I had been eating a high sugar diet until then and promptly went on a six week no-sugar detox. Since then I've been on a Mediterranean based diet, mostly based on veg and fruit, lean meat, nuts and olive oil, but I also didn't deny myself sugary treats when I craved them. My weight fluctuated somewhat but it's always been in the normal BMI range. But stupidly - I guess I was in denial - I convinced myself that was enough and didn't pursue further tests or monitor my BGL, instead relying on occasional random blood and urine lab tests to "confirm" I was not diabetic. I now feel really bad about that and worry I may have caused the pre-diabetes to develop into type 2.

I fully intend to stick to a balanced low-GI diet after birth to ward off any complications, but the prospect of having to calculate my every meal for the rest of my life, and not being able to have an occasional ice cream or pizza, or even just watermelon without worrying about what it’ll do to me is just too depressing at the moment. I guess I'm looking for some sort of reassurance if there is any.

Thanks for reading all of this :)
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi @Ven83 :)

First of all, don't blame yourself. You acted perfectly reasonably pre-pregnancy and saw a doctor for a test :) You didn't cause your Gestational Diabetes :)

Unfortunately, my answer will probably be what you're expecting. There's no way to tell if it's GD or Type 2. Having said that, your results are pretty good so GD seems likely. As I'm sure you know, a number of women who have GD go on to develop Type 2 in later life. But many don't, so it's not a foregone conclusion by any means.

In GD, the fasting sugar is usually the hardest to keep down. Some ladies find a small supper time snack can help.
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I agree with @azure I would also add that if it was type 2 or pre-diabetes they would have picked it up sooner in pregnancy... however even when you are diagnosed with GD earlier in pregnancy it could just be a higher amount of hormones.

Gd is harder to manage and predict than any other diabetes category because it is caused and created by the hormones and they directly effect your Bgl.

Saying that they seem well within range so you are doing everything right.

I am with you on the exhaust when it comes to controlling food... it is hard to fight those unhealthy urges. Hang in there the end is in sight!
 
  • Like
Reactions: gvintagedrken

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you go on having sugary treats then you will open up a whole raft of temptations. If you cut down the sweetness of everything you eat - even things using artificial sweeteners then the sugary 'treats' will become sickly as your taste buds regain their normal sensitivity.
You seem to be able to cope with a fair amount of carbs per meal - but it will be a lot easier if you eat lower carb foods rather than including the usual suspects of potatoes and other high starch vegetables or bread and pastry. They are all low nutrient foods - but pack a huge amount of carbs into a small volume.
Do check on the actual amount of carbs in what you are thinking of eating. Also be aware that in the US the fibre is counted in with the carbs, even though it is not going to impact your blood glucose. US sources will show some foods as high carb when they are not, just have good amounts of fibre included.
 

busydiabeticmum

Well-Known Member
Messages
441
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
If you go on having sugary treats then you will open up a whole raft of temptations. If you cut down the sweetness of everything you eat - even things using artificial sweeteners then the sugary 'treats' will become sickly as your taste buds regain their normal sensitivity.
You seem to be able to cope with a fair amount of carbs per meal - but it will be a lot easier if you eat lower carb foods rather than including the usual suspects of potatoes and other high starch vegetables or bread and pastry. They are all low nutrient foods - but pack a huge amount of carbs into a small volume.
Do check on the actual amount of carbs in what you are thinking of eating. Also be aware that in the US the fibre is counted in with the carbs, even though it is not going to impact your blood glucose. US sources will show some foods as high carb when they are not, just have good amounts of fibre included.
A nice "treat" would be natural yoghurt (about 4g of carb in 100g depending on brand) with a few strawberries, raspberry, blueberries, or even a spoon of peanut butter (if you're not allergic).

When I first went low carb I replaced the things I was craving for with low carb alternative which TBH I think is where sweeteners do come in. There is a 90% chocolate bar which I used to make chocolate mousse which didn't hurt bgl... chocolate was a bit bitter so I did add some sweetner.

At meal times I made "muffins" to eat instead of bread... I found a recipe which used almond flour and added cheese, onion, garlic, olives, herbs and spices to make it nicer than the bread I was used to.

Pregnancy though makes it harder to find the energy to give you this push to actually make something, it also can be a bit expensive as the unhealthy food is generally a lot cheaper to buy and quicker to prepare.... and us preggers have other stuff we want to spend our money on (like cute little outfits, buggies, cots, carseat etc and they are NOT cheap items)

I just splashed out on a treat which was some prawns! They have gone really expensive now... and no way am I sharing! ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: gvintagedrken

Mbaker

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,339
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Available fast foods in Supermarkets
Hi @Ven83 I think you are in a similar position to a significant proportion of the population who flirt with some diabetic numbers and perhaps are on the fringes of "normal" levels. I am guessing that your body is telling you that you either have some insulin resistance and or there are some carb foods which are not agreeing with you.

If you bake you might want to make your own treats (although this is probably the last thing on your mind given your exciting position), I recently found a 1 mmol difference between my daughters carrot and walnut cake and a birthday cake (the birthday cake was over 60% smaller but full of needless sugar).

Several of "us" on this site want to know what is really going on with our condition / bodies so will be having a fasting insulin test, this might be something you want to investigate after you give birth.