advice please - I was referred for a growth scan this week and baby was weigh estimated to be 6lb 8oz so I was referred for a glucose tolerance test. Fasting result was 6.5 (which they said was too high) and after 2 hours 4.5 (which they said was fine). Long term test the reading was 33 - which again they said was fine. Now monitoring bloods 4 times a day from today and booked into see team next week which will put me at 36 weeks. Has anyone else had results like this or so late on in pregnancy?
35 weeks and diagnosed
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Welcome @Tminor 
I have Type 1 diabetes not GD, but your figures do sound fine, apart from the fasting one, which is a little higher than ideal (but not dreadfully so, so don't worry too much).
It sounds like your doctors/midwives are taking a really good pro-active approach They've checked you for GD and have given you a meter so you can check your blood glucose at home. All good precautions
I have Type 1 diabetes not GD, but your figures do sound fine, apart from the fasting one, which is a little higher than ideal (but not dreadfully so, so don't worry too much).
It sounds like your doctors/midwives are taking a really good pro-active approach
They've checked you for GD and have given you a meter so you can check your blood glucose at home. All good precautions I've been doing my bloods all week. Morning they tend to be around the 5.3 mark or lower and after meals mostly they are below 7.8 but I get the occasional spike of 8.7. They decided as I am 36 weeks there is no time to see if diet can control and have put me on 500mg metformin that I take after breakfast. Bloods in the morning are smiliar to before and after meals they are around the 7.1 mark. However the tablets have made me feel so ill - stomach ache and banging headache! I'm being induced in 2 1/2 weeks and really want to enjoy this last couple of weeks not feels so ill - will the side effects settle down?
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Hi @Tminor Good news that your sugars aren't too high.
Sorry you're having problems with the Metformin. I don't take that, but I do know there is a slow release kind that many people say is easier on their stomach. Maybe you could ask about that? There may be alternatives for you.
Were you able to speak to a dietician? Depending on your diet before you were diagnosed with GD, a change can have a good effect, especially if your sugars aren't too high.
Again, I'd ask about that. Have you made any changes to your diet yourself?
Sorry you're having problems with the Metformin. I don't take that, but I do know there is a slow release kind that many people say is easier on their stomach. Maybe you could ask about that? There may be alternatives for you.
Were you able to speak to a dietician? Depending on your diet before you were diagnosed with GD, a change can have a good effect, especially if your sugars aren't too high.
Again, I'd ask about that. Have you made any changes to your diet yourself?
Generally I eat an extremely good diet, I logged all my food and there weren't really any changes they wanted me to make, with the exception of appropriate snacks between meals to help level things out. The consultant wanted to put me on the medication as I am 36 weeks and he said they hadn't got time to wait to see if diet would control. It was only my fasting one originally that was raised a bit. My bloods have been so far: morning 4.3, then one hour after meals 8.4, 6.2, 7.9, day 2, 5.3, 8.2, 8.7, 7.3, day3, 5.4, 6.3, 5.5, 8.6, day 4, 5.3, 6.5, 7.6, 8.2 - it was seeing these that they then started metformin. Last 2 days have been 4.7, 7.9, 6.0, 7.9 and 5.1, 7.1, 6.9, 5.9. Taking metformin. My fear is the medication will have little effect in the time I've got left (they are inducing me in 2 1/2 weeks) and make me feel ill during this time! From what I've read so far, my levels have ever only been slightly above normal (my said my long term result was 33 and again was fine).
I don't like taking medication really unless it is truly needed and I just got the feeling that maybe had I longer to go they would have pursued the diet route first without just jumping in with the medication.
I don't like taking medication really unless it is truly needed and I just got the feeling that maybe had I longer to go they would have pursued the diet route first without just jumping in with the medication.
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I am no doctor, and I can only speak from my own experience. Yes, your blood sugar results look good - not too high. I have Type 1 and so I take insulin. During pregnancy, I tried to keep my blood sugar results less than 7.8 two hours after meals. I didn't always succeed, but most of my results were in range. The 33 result you gave sounds like an HbA1C result (which gives an idea of your blood sugar over the last 3 months approx). Again, that sounds like a good result to me, and is around the same area as I got, and my control was classed as excellent.
If you're keeping records of what you eat, along with your blood sugar results, you could see if any meals spike you (put your blood sugar up too high after). If they do, you could avoid those meals or maybe see if there's any adjustment you could make to the carbs in them as its carbs that put your blood sugar up. Some ladies with GD find having extra protein and/or fat can help stop the spike after meals. For example, if someone had Weetabix and two slices of toast for breakfast (quite a few carbs), they may find something like two slices of toast and a hard boiled egg gives better results.
You do sound unhappy about the meds. Remember you're in charge. Ask for a different form of Metformin if you want to, ask to see a dietician, and ask for reasons for everything. Even if you do what your team say, at least if you've asked questions and taken control you'll 'own' those decisions.
Don't let the GD and the Metformin spoil your last few weeks of pregnancy. Read general pregnancy forums (usually a few ladies with GD on them), look at how you react to different meals, and enjoy these last weeks. XX
If you're keeping records of what you eat, along with your blood sugar results, you could see if any meals spike you (put your blood sugar up too high after). If they do, you could avoid those meals or maybe see if there's any adjustment you could make to the carbs in them as its carbs that put your blood sugar up. Some ladies with GD find having extra protein and/or fat can help stop the spike after meals. For example, if someone had Weetabix and two slices of toast for breakfast (quite a few carbs), they may find something like two slices of toast and a hard boiled egg gives better results.
You do sound unhappy about the meds. Remember you're in charge. Ask for a different form of Metformin if you want to, ask to see a dietician, and ask for reasons for everything. Even if you do what your team say, at least if you've asked questions and taken control you'll 'own' those decisions.
Don't let the GD and the Metformin spoil your last few weeks of pregnancy. Read general pregnancy forums (usually a few ladies with GD on them), look at how you react to different meals, and enjoy these last weeks. XX
