Hello - I'm new!

[JW71]

Hello, I'm new here. I have just found out that I am 6 weeks pregnant with my third child. The problem that I have is two previous bouts of gestational diabetes, the first time controlled with diet and the second contolled with insulin.

I woke this morning feeling dizzy, hot, fuzzy headed, so I tested my blood and it was 9. I know thats not high in comparison to type 1 or 2 diabetics, ( my step dad is insulin dependent type 2) however I am concerned that the medics wont test for GDM until week 16 and by then I know I will be feeling dreadful! I am very careful with my diet, low gi etc BMI a little high at 26, post previous pregnancy weight that I have been unable to shift!!

Anyone had any experience of this or advice on how to get through the system more quickly?

Thanks x

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi JW,welcome to the forum.
I think you should see your usual doctor and discuss this with him/her.Because you have had two previous episodes of gestational diabetes it will be on your medical records and they should be more aware that it can happen again and do something earlier.

 

[JW71]

Hi - I have made contact with my GP and MW they won't look at this until 16 weeks. I am worried about the early development of the baby.

I think I will go back on Monday and be more assertive! My GP's last comment to me was that they would be be reluctant to support me if I got got pregnant as I was being irresponsible, having had 2 previous bouts of GDM! So you can see why I don't hold much stead in their capability to be supportive!!!

 

[milly mole]

Hi JW, what a load of rubbish!!So basically your doctor is saying no one should get pregnant if they have diabetes then?!Or ,I suppose any other disease that may be affected by pregnancy,sounds like they just want a quite life. That just sounds like a cop out to caring for you!!Sounds like discrimination to me.You are the one that weights up the pros and cons and risks to yourself by having more children.They are the ones that need to support you in your life choices.The 'nanny' state if just going too far.

 

[JW71]

I agree with you Milly, he was totally horrible! I said the same thing to him actually, re women with Diabetes persay! I am waiting to hear back from my friend who is an independent MW, she should be able to help, my mw wasn't much help through my last two pregs!

 

[Orchid]

Hi JW

Firstly Hi and welcome, so glad you came today.

Could you tell us if your BG of 9 was first thing in the morning - ie. before you had eaten anything, or had you eaten something first?

You are right to think that good blood sugars are really very important to the healthy development of the baby.

Orchid x

 

[Katharine]

You need an urgent second opinion. In the normal pregnancy blood sugars drop in the first trimester. A fasting bs of 9 is abnormal for anyone but anything over 3.3-5.0 is considered a normal am or between meal blood sugar in early pregnancy.

It is extremely likely that you will need insulin from an early stage if your finger prick test is accurate.

You can bypass your GP and go straight to the midwife for a booking appointment and get her to refer you pronto-tonto directly to the consultant.

Meanwhile, get an actual blood test ie fasting bs and hbaic done from the midwife. There is a good case to be made for a glucose tolerance test right away but either of these tests being raised should push that forward.

 

[JW71]

Hi JW

Firstly Hi and welcome, so glad you came today.

Could you tell us if your BG of 9 was first thing in the morning - ie. before you had eaten anything, or had you eaten something first?

You are right to think that good blood sugars are really very important to the healthy development of the baby.

Orchid x

Hi - my BG was 9 before any food and I last ate at about 8pm last night, hence my concern! I have spent the morning doing housework to tey and get my sugars down, they came down to 5.5 and went back up to 6.5 after having a slice of toast. (tested after one hour)

 

[Katharine]

The post toast reading suggests that your pancreas is doing okay. The fasting bs is still too high. You could monitor your bs over the weekend and have a pretty good idea of whether you need to chase the midwife up or not by Monday.

 

[JW71]

You need an urgent second opinion. In the normal pregnancy blood sugars drop in the first trimester. A fasting bs of 9 is abnormal for anyone but anything over 3.3-5.0 is considered a normal am or between meal blood sugar in early pregnancy.

It is extremely likely that you will need insulin from an early stage if your finger prick test is accurate.

You can bypass your GP and go straight to the midwife for a booking appointment and get her to refer you pronto-tonto directly to the consultant.

Meanwhile, get an actual blood test ie fasting bs and hbaic done from the midwife. There is a good case to be made for a glucose tolerance test right away but either of these tests being raised should push that forward.

I agree with you katherine, however when I phoned the gp surgery yesterday I was told she would'nt see me before 8 weeks and they wont do gtt until 16 weeks. I have expressed my concerns, they are SO unhelpful! I work as breastfeeding peer supporter and I think I might ring the MW who runs the groups, see if she can help.

 

[JW71]

Thank you Katherine, I don't know enough about this subject, so I am so glad that I have found this forum. Julie xx

 

[Katharine]

This is a ridiculous situation. You are not having a "normal" pregnancy. You are having a high risk pregnancy by virtue of your past history of gestational insulin controlled diabetes.

I assume that a diabetologist/endocrinologist saw you at some point in your last pregnancy? You could ring up the diabetes liaison sister and speak to her to try to get an urgent appointment there. If you are already on the books I don't imagine it would cause too much difficulty for them. If you were an existing type one who got pregnant you would be fast tracked and if your bs pattern is not normal you need to be fast tracked too.

 

[Orchid]

I totally agree with your advice Katherine, I think Julie should get some help immediately, a fasting BG of 9 in a mum 6 weeks pregnant needs some urgent investigation.

Here is an article written by Dr Judith Steel - she saw me through my pregnancies http://www.diabetesvoice.org/files/atta ... 131_en.pdf

Although this article is aimed at those who have diabetes already please notice a quote from the article:

"It has been clearly shown that the better the control of blood glucose levels in very early
pregnancy, the greater the chance that the fetus will develop normally."

I know this his article is dated September 2002 (a bit old now) but, the above principle obviously still applies.

Julie all the best - please let us know how you get on, I really hope everything goes well for you!! - Feeling broody myself now!

Orchid x

 

[JW71]

Thanks all. I was under the obstetrician last time and the diabetic nurse, I might give her a call on monday, its only 18 months since I was in their care.

I will update on Monday x

 

[CalicoBec]

Hi there,

I really don't know what to say other than get a 2nd opinion, some doctors don't listen, don't care and want a quiet life, where as others are fantastic. In my surgery I saw one doctor to take my blood (nurse couldn't do it cos i have thin veins) and she gave me a real roasting about my weight (this was before I was diagnosed) and although she is right, i'm 30 years old and I know the problem with my weight, but I let her have her 5 mins of glory. When I saw my normal dr (who is lovely) he laughed when I told him what she'd said and said exactly what I just said "your old enough to know the effects of your weight te he". He is also the first dr I've had who doesn't blame EVERYTHING on being overweight, so i'm v happy with him! I would suggest ditching that dr and getting one who is a bit more understanding, be forceful if you must because at the end of the day this is your health and your baby that is at risk, so you have every right to kick up a fuss if they won't help you!

Hope all goes well, and welcome to the forum

Becca

 

[hanadr]

As a last resort, you could just turn up at A&E when you know your BG is elevated Tell them you're pregnant and feel ill. Explain your previous pregnancy was a high risk one. that should cause a response.
It's not the right way to treat A&E, but desperate circumstances require desperate measures. THEN write to your local PCT and put your complaints in firmly.

 

[wiflib]

Hello.
I'm a hospital based Midwife.
I know how hard it is to get contact with a community Midwife. Your GP does not need to refer you, you can self refer. However, easily said than done.
At this early stage, your best HCP's to contact are the diabetic lot, not the Midwifery/Obstetric lot, they are more useful later on. At this stage of your pregnancy, it's more about your health than your babys.
So. A few options.
Phone the surgery and ask for an appointment with the Midwife. If they ask how many weeks you are, lie or tell them to mind their own business! If the surgery just wont let you have access, contact the head of community Midwifery or the lead Midwife at your local hospital (switchboard should be able to put you through).
Tell them you would like to 'get in the system' sooner rather than later and you expect someone to contact you ASAP.

In the meantime, carry on doing what you have been doing well and take care of yourself.

Come back and let us know how you have got on.

wiflib

ps.There are many reasons wny GP's can remove you from their list. Choosing to be pregnant with a pre-existing condition isn't one of them.

 

[JW71]

Re: Hello - I'm new! -UPDATE

Thank you all very much for your advice, it good find such a friendly and knowledgeable forum. I have managed to see the GP, Midwife and Diabetes Nurse this week! I have been booked under the Diabetes team which includes a specialist Mid wife, Diabetes Nurse, Dietician and Obstetrician!

I have monitored my bs since seeing the diabetes team on Tuesday and they have been up and down. I called them today, as requested and they want to see me on monday and think I will probably go onto Insulin again. I am just glad its getting sorted because I have two lively children , my own business, a busy Husband who is not here much and the house to run and can't keep feeling this ****.

Thanks once again x

 

[Orchid]

Thanks for the update JW - been thinking about you!

Orchid

 

[JW71]

Thanks all for your help. I started on insulin yesterday, feeling ok, very tired! I think I will be a frequent visitor to this website over the next 7 months. x