Monday, February 27, 2012

GD sucks.

I think my head is still spinning from my GD appointment today. What I took away from today is that GD sucks...

First I met with Dawn (my endocrinologist) who also handles my thyroid issues. But she also takes care of diabetes patients as well. She had told me that if I did end up having GD she would monitor that too for me. I like her a lot. She's kind of young and really easy to talk to. Although, today when she asked me if the nurse weighed me I said "No" and she said " Oh well we weighed you a few weeks ago when you here right?" and I said jokingly "Yeah, but you might need two scales by now!" And she burst out laughing, and continued to laugh a little too long and a little too hard. It was was awkward. But whatever...

So she showed me how to test my blood sugar. Which I have to do FOUR TIMES A FREAKIN DAY. And I have to keep track of it all and email it to her at the end of the week. My blood sugar was just fine when I did it in the office. And then I tried doing it at home by myself after lunch and I almost bled out! I don't think I put the blood drop on the strip correctly because it wouldn't show a number! So I kept trying to squeeze blood out to get it on the strip and ended up with a blood covered hand. I'll try again after dinner. But oh man, this sucks. I am NOT a needle person and having to do this four times a day does not bring me to a happy place.

Then she had me meet with the nutritionist. Which was a blast. That was sarcasm by the way. She was an older lady, kind of nice but  kind of "judge-y" too.  Like judging all my eating habits. Which I know aren't stellar, but hey, nobody is perfect. For example, in the early morning I am starving so I usually have a bowl of cereal and milk after my husband leaves for work. And I usually eat Cheerios which is like one of the healthiest cereals. Turns out that's the worst thing someone with diabetes can eat in the early morning, cereal and milk. Because I guess it spikes your blood sugar. She said I could have it as a snack, but it's not good for breakfast. Great, that's what I've been doing for almost 8 months now. She then gave me all kinds of packets and books and information on what to eat and what not to eat. I sued to do Weight Watcher's and this seems a lot harder to follow. Basically, it's just choosing healthier options but it will also increase our grocery list by 70% with all the healthy things we need to buy. So that's another thing budgeting to make sure we can afford it all! She also said that I should cut back on juice or maybe cut it out completely. Which made me want to cry. Because I LOVE orange juice. Seriously, I don't know how I could live without it. Since my GD diagnosis I have been buying the "less sugar" brand. But I don't think it's something I could cut out completely. I asked her what I should be drinking. She said I could have crystal light, seltzer water and water. I bought some flavored seltzer water today. Blueberry and Cranberry Lime. Both just taste like water with bubbles.

I know I can do this. Make some little changes and test my blood sugar. I don't have much longer to go in this pregnancy. But still, it sucks. I am hungry ALL the time. And it seems like all things I ate that I thought were healthy to stop my hunger, aren't so great. It's not like I'm eating cake and ice cream all day long. I try to make good choices. But I guess they're not good enough. So I'm just sad about it. I would have like to spend the last few weeks of pregnancy not stressing and obsessing about things.

They also took more blood today. I have to go back to the nutritionist in two weeks and I have to email my  blood sugar levels at the end of each week. They said that if my levels look fine after awhile I might be able to cut back on testing so much. That would be so nice! She said hopefully I can avoid having to take insulin shots, but we won't know for sure until we see how my levels are looking.

I'm just wishing I didn't have GD :(

10 comments:

Faith said...

Awww, how miserable! You poor thing! Hang in there - it is ALL worth it and this will soon be a distant memory!

Kate said...

Hi, sarah! I am a diabetic and was throughout my entire pregnancy. What type of blood tester do you use? Some of them are easier/harder than others to get the blood into/onto the strip. There is one called the freestyle lite or freestyle that is super easy and takes the least amount of blood.

Matt and Krista said...

I feel for ya! I had it too! I had to completely change my diet for those last 6 weeks or so and even though it sucked...I did it, and you can too! Yes, definitely cut out all juice...I stuck to water, that was all I drank, everything else has too much sugar in it. I too had to cut out cereal and oatmeal in the morning. For 6 weeks I ate 2 scrambled eggs, a piece of wheat toast and a greek yogurt with low sugar for breakfast. It got old, but it was the only thing I found that kept me full and my blood sugar down. For snacks I ate granola bars, wheat pita chips with hummus, celery and peanut butter, fruits, veggies with hummus, almonds and other nuts. You just have to find stuff that fills you up but keeps your sugars low. Drop by if you have questions on what I ate...I feel for you, I know how difficult it is to change your diet when you are hungry and pregnant (I had TWO babies!)

Kristen said...

Awww honey!! I am so sorry you have to deal with this... But I do have lots of faith in you and I have no doubt that you can kick GD's butt! Remember I am always here for venting :) xoxo

Good Timing said...

I feel like I could have written this post too! In fact I did write my own GD post today, so go have a gander! At least our consolation is that we only have weeks left of this and maybe you can control yours with diet. I thought I could, but will start taking insulin tomorrow. Just keep your eye on the prize my friend because she'll be here before you know it!! xoxo

Anonymous said...

I had GD during my pregnancy... you can still eat what you like but in moderation. I still drank my caff. free sodas and had my 4 oz of juice with a carb in the morning. I also had a great book that the hospital gave me with carb counters for restaurants. It was very helpful. Don't freak out because you can do it. Just keep a check on your sugar and find what is best for you.

Stephanie said...

I'm sorry...I was so hoping you wouldn't have to deal with GD. I have heard from many women who have though and say it's totally manageable. Probably not what you want to hear right now, but like you said, you don't have too much longer!!

AnnaLe said...

Does your lancing device have a "depth" gauge? On mine you could adjust how hard the needle went in. My nurse said that 5 was average for an adult, but I bled like a stuck pig with it at five and usually set it at 2.

When I had GD I had to cut out all fruit, cereal, and oatmeal as well. For whatever reason milk spiked my sugars. For breakfast I had toast and peanutbutter. For lunch and dinner I would eat a lot of taco salads or burrito bowls (is there Chipotle where you live?). That way I could use a little rice or tortilla chips and then load up on chicken, beef, cheese, lettuce, and salsa. I also at a lot of steak. When I was starving but didn't have any carbs I would eat cheese and beef jerky. I don't know if you like beef jerky, but it worked for me. Just be careful if you have any swelling because it's pretty high in salt. Also, those little peanut butter cracker packages are a good snack too. I think they were only one carb. For my evening snack I would occasionally induldge in half of a fancy chocolate bar-- the ones that cost three dollars at the grocery store. It was a little under 2 carbs. The weight watchers ice cream treats are good too.

Please please please don't feel like a huge failure if you have to take insulin. When my doctor put me on insulin I left the appointment and sobbed in my car until I couldn't breathe. Everyone had told me that I'd be able to control it with diet and I felt awful that I couldn't. But most people are not GD experts and don't realize that your diet is not in charge of this-- your placenta hormones are and there's nothing you can do to change that aside from delivery. It will be great if you can control it with diet, don't get me wrong. But it will also be fine if you need to take insulin. It's better for your baby to aggressively control your numbers for six weeks, you know?

Hang in there!

kkasun said...

Oh, I am so sorry. That must be so tough. I wish you didn't have this additional worry.
It will be over soon and you will be holding little lady!

Kate said...

Good point on the "depth gauge". If yours doesn't have it, go to Walgreens and get one. Mine is set at 1 out of five. There are times when my callouses get so bad that I have to go up to a 2, but never higher than that. Also, if you haven't already, try getting the BD ultrafine lancets. They are AWESOME! I have been diabetic for 17 years and will not use anything else!