One-off sky high test - worried!

[preggotype2]

I am 14 weeks pg and was diagnosed with GD 2 weeks ago after the GTT. I have been testing twice a day (either before breakfast or 1 hour after a meal) and have always been within my targets (below 5.5 on fasting and below 7.5 after a meal). However, at lunchtime today I got a reading of 12.2. What could this mean? How could it suddenly have shot up? I am really worried and don't know if there is anything I can do to bring the level down. For lunch I had quiche with new potatos, green beans and salad leaves followed by a cereal bar.

 

[cugila]

I think you will find that the Quiche, potato and cereal bar would have a lot to do with this as they will all push up Bg levels. What were they at the 2 hr level, higher or lower ?

Pretty much a carb fest there !

 

[preggotype2]

Thanks for the reply. I only test 1 hour after a meal (I use a J&J onetouch and this is when I have been told to test). I am not sure how one meal could cause such a sharp increase. Is there any way to bring my sugar level down? Should I just drink water and not eat until dinner time (which is very hard as I get very hungry in the late afternoon).

 

[preggotype2]

I have just tested again (2hr and 15 mins after meal) and it is down to 6.1

I feel a bit better now, as this seems to suggest that my body is managing the sugar level.

 

[cugila]

Thanks for the reply. I only test 1 hour after a meal (I use a J&J onetouch and this is when I have been told to test). I am not sure how one meal could cause such a sharp increase. Is there any way to bring my sugar level down? Should I just drink water and not eat until dinner time (which is very hard as I get very hungry in the late afternoon).

I'm sorry, I neglected to welcome you to the Forum.......

Testing at only the 1 hr point will only give you a spike when the food you have eaten is fairly quick acting carbohydrates. It would be better if you want to know what is really happening to also test at the 2 hr point when the readings should be getting back to the pre-meal readings. However, the type of food you quoted is very high carbs and also would be fairly slow acting so the peak might 3 or even 4 hrs later ! So, see what happens later.

As you are only newly diagnosed I think it may be beneficial to you to have a read of the Basic Advice for Newbies that my pal Sue and I post here, there is more information in there that would help you to understand the relationship between carbohydrates and glucose which will elevate Bg levels.

To try and bring the levels down, yes, drink plenty of fluids (sugar free) water is fine and possibly a small amount of exercise, a walk or something. They are not mega high so don't worry too much. If you do snack, make sure it is very low carb content food so that it doesn't make the levels go even higher.

One thing is that as you are pregnant you should follow the advice of your Diabetic Team in relation to target levels and also nutrition, you will have to balance all these things to make sure that both yourself and baby are in the best possible health. Bg levels throughout your pregnancy may well be different to those quoted in the advice, discuss them with your Diabetic Team.

Here is the advice:

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Ken / Sue.

 

[preggotype2]

Thanks so much - that is really useful. I am afraid that I am a bit ignorant on the fact that sugars are in carbs too. As all my tests were below target I am afraid I had got a bit relaxed and thought that perhaps the GD diabetes disgnosis was down to a freak reading on the day of the GTT, and that actually maybe I didn't have it. I will need to properly get a grasp on this. I have been assigned to a dietician in the antenatal unit for ongoing monitoring and appointments.

 

[cugila]

Glad to hear it's useful.

Just remember they may want you to do things differently......if that is what they want it is for yours and the baby's health so go with it, just remember those basics, especially about carbs. That can help a lot with the control aspect.

I wish you and baby well with the pregnancy. Keep us informed how you are getting on.

 

[jopar]

How come you had a GTT so early in your pregnacy?

As you go through your pregnancy you BG's may change and need medication or need insulin for the duration of your pregnancy, but they will monitor you and the baby very closely indeed...

You would be surpised how high a non-diabetic blood sugar levels can spike an hour after eating something, then drop back to normal..

Carbs are an important factor in diabetic control, Take your meal, Quiche, potatoes followed by a cereal bar.. 3 forms of carbs based meals, pastry, and milk in the Quiche, potatoes and more than one might think in the ceral bar..

A more friendly idea, is perhaps a swap the potatoes for a salad, or quiche for meat, change the cereal bar for a apple etc or perhaps a simple fruit yougert.. Eat wholemeal grains i.e gannery bread etc.. Wholemeal pasta rather than normal white..

It may be that you have to do some portion control to cut back on some of the high carb parts of a meal, Pata and pastry have a lot more carbs in them than one might think, sometimes a smaller portion can help, and increase veg and meat protion for meal size can help ensure that meal size..

Snack, nut's, perhaps cheese and crackers (crackers only have 5g of carbs) sugar free jelly small piece of fruit will tie you over..

Your team will closely monitor you and the baby due to as you go through your pregnancy it's likely that your blood glucose will change and you may need medication or insulin to help control your blood sugar levels, if this happens no need to panic, as it is likely that it will only be for the duration of the pregnancy and you can stop after you've had the baby..

Diabetes in pregnancy is slightly different than other times, so you need to work with your team who will discuss and give information on the oppropiate targets you should be looking to achieve..

Good luck for your pregnancy

 

[preggotype2]

Thanks for your post. Having read the pregnancy book it does seem that I had the test pretty early. When I had my booking in bloods I did the lucozade test which was very slightly high, so they went straight onto the GTT. Since the 12.2 result all my tests have been under target.
Its really useful advice re the carbs - I was thinking about sugars and not carbs which was my problem. I am also trying not to let myself get too hungry and ensuring that I have a snack if I start getting hungry between meals (plain nuts, apple, cheese sticks), as if I stay hungry then when I
it comes to meal time I eat too much. I guess its all a learning curve - its just a pain as its not as though there isn't enought other stuff to worry about when you're pregnant!!

 

[the_anticarb]

hiya - welcome. Although 12.2 is high, I don't think it will do a lot of harm as a one-off, the main thing is you became aware of it quickly. If it happens again, exercise is probably the best way to get your blood sugar down quickly. I'm in the latter stages of my pregnancy and had a few highs along the way, but none for very long as I was testing all the time so on to them quickly, and the baby is doing fine. I think it is the sustained highs that cause the problems, particularly towards the end when the baby is putting on its fat stores.

The focus on sugar rather than carbs is very common to those new to diabetes and for me who has had the condition for a long time it is the most frustrating thing when non diabetic people assume I 'can't' eat sugary foods but I 'can' eat things like bread and potatoes.

It all breaks down to sugar in the end, it's just the speed at which it does so obviously your slow acting carbs like wholemeal bread and stuff break down slower but it's worth remembering that stuff like mashed potato will actually get into your blood stream as sugar faster than table sugar.

Good luck -sounds like you are getting to grips with it all early on which is great as it does get harder after around 24 weeks when your body may start to become insulin resistant .