High blood sugar and terrified

[Lolli24]

Hi, I found out a few weeks ago that I am pregnant. It wasn't planned and I haven't been the best diabetic. I am type 1 on metformin plus levemir and novorapid. I have been diabetic for 9 years. I think I am roughly 9 weeks.

My blood sugar is high in the mornings anything from 11-20! And I've had readings around 12/13 during the day I always end up over correcting having a hypo then going high again!! It's a nightmare and I'm terrified I am damaged my unborn baby. So much to the point where I am considering a termination as I'm convinced my baby will have lots of problems.

I have tried to get advice from my GP and diabetic nurse but so far I've heard nothing back and my GP has told me I will have the same amount of scans as a non diabetic. I feel like no one wants to help me and I don't know what to do!

Any advice was be greatly appreciated

 

[Dazza1984]

Hi, I found out a few weeks ago that I am pregnant. It wasn't planned and I haven't been the best diabetic. I am type 1 on metformin plus levemir and novorapid. I have been diabetic for 9 years. I think I am roughly 9 weeks.

My blood sugar is high in the mornings anything from 11-20! And I've had readings around 12/13 during the day I always end up over correcting having a hypo then going high again!! It's a nightmare and I'm terrified I am damaged my unborn baby. So much to the point where I am considering a termination as I'm convinced my baby will have lots of problems.

I have tried to get advice from my GP and diabetic nurse but so far I've heard nothing back and my GP has told me I will have the same amount of scans as a non diabetic. I feel like no one wants to help me and I don't know what to do!

Any advice was be greatly appreciated

No easy this one. I am sure ur aware of the potential for 'normal folk' to get a gestational diabetes; and this could be occurring with you. Unfortunate thing is you're already a diabetic so adds to the problem.
Remember tho, temporary spikes are not the concerning thing, it's if you constantly run high. I would err on the side of upping ur insulin and having hypos as you could damage ur baby. I mean think about it; if you collapse or szr then that is bad news.
I think it better u run a little high to ensure ur ok. Yup your diabetes team will tailor a regime to suit you but in interim I wouldn't worry.

Someone on the forum will have gone thru what u are and no doubt be along soon.

 

[Cloe-1992]

Hey lolli ,

I understand your worrys and concerns as it's not ideal . But it isn't right how you feel you are not getting no help from the professionals , most of the women on here who are planning for pregnancy have attended pre conception clinics so there for means you are automatically put under the hospital for when and if you fall pregnant . The reason I'm saying this is the diabetic specialist nurses are superb in the ante natal section of the hospital , you could make another appointment with your doctor and be asked to be seen under your local hospital where you should of been sent once you had fount out you was pregnant , they are very helpful and will help you with bm ranges and targets and how to adjust your insulin . You should also be given a dating scan early on in pregnancy as diabetics do get more scans than a non diabetic . Learnt this at pre conception .
It really is worth it to keep on at them to get where you need to be . As you will be monitored and supported a lot more closely than normal .
Sorry if I'm not no help , and I know you must be so worried . I will try and help if you got any questions .
Take care of yourself
x

 

[-Artemis-]

As Cloe says, your GP is incorrect - you should definitely get more appointments and scans than a non-diabetic - I have been told this too.

I'm not sure what other advice we can offer - other than to say try to be seen by your actual diabetic clinic, not just your GP, asap.

Sorry for your worry - it must be tough x

 

[noblehead]

I have tried to get advice from my GP and diabetic nurse but so far I've heard nothing back and my GP has told me I will have the same amount of scans as a non diabetic. I feel like no one wants to help me and I don't know what to do!

Given your circumstances you need to be referred over to the care of your hospital diabetes clinic, they are more specialised in dealing with type 1 diabetes and those who are planning or are already pregnant.

 

[JessP]

Hi Lolli,
firstly congratulations on being pregnant even if you are finding if terrifying. I can completely understand the fear of going high as I had this at times in the first trimester as well.
The first thing is I agree with what some of the people above have said....you must be seen by the diabetes team asap at your hospital. This is essential. Phone them, hassle them etc until they see you and they should see you in the next week given the rough time you are having. If you have to go to the GP (I would advice bypassing him all together and just go straight to the hospital) then firmly inform him he's wrong and needs to have a look at the guidelines if he thinks otherwise. (NICE guidance).
The next think is to have a look at your BMs and work out if you can what is causing the highs. I can understand the over-correcting of hypos, i used to do this when driven by the hunger, but it's key not to do this if you can avoid it. I found that I was able to work out exactly how many harribo sweets (my current hypo treatment) would correct my BM, only about 7 sweets it would seem most of the time.
Another thing you could try, are you going high after meals? If this is the case you might want to consider massively reducing your carb intake for the next few weeks until you see the diabetes team and they help you work out your insulin:carb ratios. Do you carb count? Personally I have had to almost entirely cut out carbs from my diet but it has really helped my control - I did this pre-conception and got my HbA1c down to 6.0 and am trying hard to keep it up although the pregnancy is making me really hungry (am currently 22 weeks).

I know it's really tough, it would be so nice to not be diabetic wouldn't it??
Anyway, please let me know if I can be of any more help to you, this forum is brilliant for support and advice. Don't make any decisions regarding the pregnancy at this time, get the help you need and are meant to have from your docs and they will sort you out quickly I'm sure. Are you taking folic acid 5mg daily?

Good luck! Jess x

 

[Lolli24]

Hi Lolli,
firstly congratulations on being pregnant even if you are finding if terrifying. I can completely understand the fear of going high as I had this at times in the first trimester as well.
The first thing is I agree with what some of the people above have said....you must be seen by the diabetes team asap at your hospital. This is essential. Phone them, hassle them etc until they see you and they should see you in the next week given the rough time you are having. If you have to go to the GP (I would advice bypassing him all together and just go straight to the hospital) then firmly inform him he's wrong and needs to have a look at the guidelines if he thinks otherwise. (NICE guidance).
The next think is to have a look at your BMs and work out if you can what is causing the highs. I can understand the over-correcting of hypos, i used to do this when driven by the hunger, but it's key not to do this if you can avoid it. I found that I was able to work out exactly how many harribo sweets (my current hypo treatment) would correct my BM, only about 7 sweets it would seem most of the time.
Another thing you could try, are you going high after meals? If this is the case you might want to consider massively reducing your carb intake for the next few weeks until you see the diabetes team and they help you work out your insulin:carb ratios. Do you carb count? Personally I have had to almost entirely cut out carbs from my diet but it has really helped my control - I did this pre-conception and got my HbA1c down to 6.0 and am trying hard to keep it up although the pregnancy is making me really hungry (am currently 22 weeks).

I know it's really tough, it would be so nice to not be diabetic wouldn't it??
Anyway, please let me know if I can be of any more help to you, this forum is brilliant for support and advice. Don't make any decisions regarding the pregnancy at this time, get the help you need and are meant to have from your docs and they will sort you out quickly I'm sure. Are you taking folic acid 5mg daily?

Good luck! Jess x

Hi Jess,

Yes I am taking folic acid 5mg for a few weeks now. I am currently reducing my carb in take and I carb count at the moment but the ratios change daily so this is why I'm getting highs or going hypo. I'm really worried that the damage is already done.

I've had left several messages for my diabetes nurse and she isn't getting back in touch so don't really know where to go from here. The doctor said she sent an urgent referral to my team 2 weeks ago but I've heard nothing yet!

I'm getting really frustrated as I have no support at All. I'm going to see the GP again today but I don't hold out much hope.

Thanks for your advice I'm going to ring the hospital again xx

 

[jade88]

Hi Lolli,
Did you have any luck getting in touch with your diabetes team? xx

 

[Lolli24]

Yeah I rang them again and someone finally rang me back and she said they have referred me so just have to wait. Also I got my booking appointment from the hospital but it's not until the 5th of November. That seems a bit far away to not see anyone until then?

 

[jade88]

That seems too long! How are you doing controlling your bloods? xx

 

[jade88]

I'm not pregnant yet but docs also got me on vitamin D aswell as folic acid x

 

[maisiesgranny]

hi lolli, take one day at a time and just say to yourself, "i can manage today'. do the best you can that day and try not to worry about the future. hard i know!!! look at some cognitive behaviour websites to help manage anxiety. be kind to yourself. hope all goes well for you and that the hospital look after you really well.xx

 

[LindsayOz]

Hello, I am going through the same thing right now at 28 weeks. I just woke up in the middle of the night with a reading of 1.5 so I had some juice and bread and thirty minutes later I tested it again and it was a 14 so I gave myself insulin and 45 minutes later it is now at a 16! It is so frustrating to feel so out of control with these crazy readings and really does a toll on me emotionally so I see where your feelings are coming from. I'm wondering if anybody on here who has had a child and went through the same thing can assure us that their child is healthy even after going through these same issues. :/

 

[MsVelvet]

Hi, when I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes. My ob doctor sent me to an endrocronologist who managed me throughout my pregnancy. I also saw a physician who managed my blood pressue, but I was 45 years old with my first child and very overweight. The endro put me on insulin and I had to do regular readings. When I started the insulin I had her private mobile and she would have me ring her to work out how to adjust the amounts. I need to state I was technically supposed to be a complicated pregnancy, hence the extra care.

What you have to watch for is later in your pregnancy, if you notice that you start to need less insulin or you are consistently lower, like if you average 5's and these start to become 4's. This can be that the baby is producing insulin for both of you. This started to occur in me in about week 36/37, when I told the doctor he sent me to hospital and I had a c section. My daughter was very beautiful and they kept her in ICU for several days while they stabalised her bs and she got over jaundice. She was born at 37 weeks and weighed 8lbs 13 ounces. Glad I didn't go full term.

Don't worry, for all the fuss they made of me my pregnancy was really easy, yours will go well too!

 

[aditi]

Hello ladies,

I see two three of you on this post who are on the lookout for a type 1 diabetic with a baby! I have a 5 month lil baby and have had all these issues during my pregnancy. Had my highs lows..all that frustration..so point 1 write everything down to the minutest detail...point 2 don't eat what you don't know about..if u know x meal y insulin and good sugar...eat just that..don't try doing substitutions now..body behaves very differently when pregnant..corrective increases..the same amount of insulin doesn't get you to a good number..so be very careful..it's not easy..it can't be done in one day..but keep trying and in 2 weeks about u ll certainly get there !

During the early bit of my pregnancy I was substituting and trying to eat everything like I normally do..but later I was restricted to 4 -5 food options ! It's only a matter of a few months so be at it you ll be fine +

 

[Lolli24]

Thank you for all your replies! I feel like I am definitely getting things under control a lot better and don't have many highs at all now! But some days I need more insulin that other and it is VERY hard and I do get down sometimes and constantly worry I've damaged my baby or that baby is going to be still born! I can't help but not enjoy the pregnancy because of these worries. I don't want to get excited until baby is actually here! I am now 18 weeks and found out I'm having a girl xx

 

[Cloe-1992]

Thank you for all your replies! I feel like I am definitely getting things under control a lot better and don't have many highs at all now! But some days I need more insulin that other and it is VERY hard and I do get down sometimes and constantly worry I've damaged my baby or that baby is going to be still born! I can't help but not enjoy the pregnancy because of these worries. I don't want to get excited until baby is actually here! I am now 18 weeks and found out I'm having a girl xx

That's great to hear you are doing better now with the less highs , i think we all know the feeling of the just panicking for the whole 9 months hoping your doing everything you can for baby . I'm now 20 weeks and have felt exact same .
Congradualtions on finding out your having a little girl , how exciting. x

 

[Lolli24]

Well I'm trying to stay positive! All my scans have been good so far and they said everything looks normal! I have my 20 week scan in two weeks time so I'm sure I will feel much more relaxed after that! It's hard not to panic but fingers crossed! How did your scan go?x

 

[Cloe-1992]

Well I'm trying to stay positive! All my scans have been good so far and they said everything looks normal! I have my 20 week scan in two weeks time so I'm sure I will feel much more relaxed after that! It's hard not to panic but fingers crossed! How did your scan go?x

It is really hard think it's the hardest thing were ever going to have to do as it's not controlling diabetes for us well it is but it's controlling it for a tiny little baby , and I say it all the time just when you think you've cracked it diabetes mixes it up once again . You sound like your doing well though as your trying to sort things out and seems as though you have . Even when the professionals tell me I'm doing ok I still question never going to win with myself lol , I've just seen you've commented on my 20 week scan post , so yes everything with baby is looking good which we were both over the moon to hear , and fingers crossed we can get a sex confirmed next scan , but main thing is is baby is healthy .
Not too much longer for you to wait then Untill the 16th yourll have to let me know how you get on loads of good luck wishes xx

 

[kirstfinley]

congrats on the new of having a girl, how exciting! I'm sure you will be absolutely fine, sounds like you've started doing a great job for baby's health! Xx