Newbie needing advice

NooNooHead

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Gestational
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello all

I posted in the 'Ask a question' section but got no replies so am posting in here instead...

I have been diagnosed with GD recently and am 30 weeks pregnant tomorrow. I'm sure that I had undiagnosed GD in my previous pregnancy as my daughter was 11lb5oz (!!!) and I'm only 5'2"! Consequently they are monitoring me closely now!

I've been told I'll have to start on insulin as my fasting levels have been too high in the mornings - they are averaging 5.5 when they should be 5.3 or below.

I'm not averse to taking insulin at all but as I have a rare drug-induced movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD), I am very wary about putting anything new medication-wise into my body in case it causes my TD to get worse, aggravate symptoms or bring on new ones.

Of course, no-one here is a doctor or neurologist, and I don't expect anyone to have heard of TD letalone know much about it (some neurologists are pretty bad at diagnosing it...) but if anyone has any advice they can give me re: side effects of insulin, and whether anyone has ever had an neurological side effects or reactions, I would be v grateful!

Thank you in advance!
 
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
It is a serious issue and you should only consult with your doctor. Maybe someone can give you a good piece of advice here but don't forget you are pregnant.
 

CherryAA

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,171
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It is a serious issue and you should only consult with your doctor. Maybe someone can give you a good piece of advice here but don't forget you are pregnant.

Surely the first step is to check that you are eating a properly healthy diet?

A healthy diet does not include anything with sugar in it and its clear from many studies that refined processed foods are not good for any of us. You cannot hurt your child by eating good quality nutricious foods, so why not try that ?

If you are anything like the rest of us here, simply doing that will bring down your fasting levels very quickly - for example try eating meat / fish and vegetables without the pasta, rice and bread for a couple of days then have it rechecked, you might be pleasantly surprised. You don't need to go at all hungry, so eat as much as you feel you need, just make it as nutricious and fresh as possible instead of the packaged stuff. That's not actually a diet, just common sense and all about getting the best possible nutrients into your developing baby.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are concerned about the advisability of low carb foods, I went through my first pregnancy with no cab restrictions, but I only ate foods which were not high carb - the no bread pasta rice potatoes etc rule.
My weight gain was minimal and the baby was a strapping 9 lb 3 oz boy who is now well over 6 ft tall - but I must warn you that he grew like a weed and did not sleep well at all - wanted to be fed or to play all the time.
It was long before I was diagnosed but I had always had to eat low carb to control my weight, so I had over a decade of eating low carb behind me before I fell pregnant. I recovered from the birth amazingly fast too - according to the nurses and midwives I saw.
With my second pregnancy I was just entering the third trimester when I mentioned low carb to the doctor and how well I felt, and he threatened to send me to hospital and have me 'fed properly' and in two weeks eating the diet he prescribed I was seriously ill with pre eclampsia. Luckily there was no bed available, so I got a reprieve over the weekend and when I went back on the Monday (after abandoning the diet) I was very much improved -probably all the trotting up and down to the toilet had helped, and it was such a relief to be eating all the fresh vegetables again - and fruits too, but at a much lower level of carbs than the 'healthy' diet as prescribed.
If you have been eating dense carb foods you might negotiate a bit of time to tr eliminating the highest of them and seeing if your morning levels fall. I found that high carb foods cause a spike which had a long effect on all my readings.