So if you haven't heard about my whole ordeal with the glucose screen, sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride!
After a lot of research that ended with no alternatives I ended up taking the glucose test. A sugary orange drink that tasted like a flat orange soda. Not only was a challenge to drink it within 5 minutes but I was burping through the whole , which was probably the funniest part. I knew I was going to get sick since the my body cant process that much sugar. My whole body got super heavy and I had to lay down in the lobby. The nurse was really nice and gave me a pillow to rest on while waiting the hour to draw my blood. By the time the hour was up I was feeling a little better but light headed and woozy, at least I didnt throw up! So I took this test the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, first thing Tuesday morning I got a call that I failed. 140 and below is passing and 200 is an automatic treatment for GD (gestational diabetes). I came in at 157, so they wanted me to take the 3 hour glucose test to make sure, I told the nurse "no!"
My appointment was coming up in two days so the nurse told me to talk it over with the doctor.
As soon as I got off the phone I called the John Muir Gastric Bypass center and talked to the nurse there. Surprisingly, she hadn't been asked about the glucose screening fir GB (gastric bypass) patients either! It has been hard for me to believe that no one has faced this problem! However, after discussing it for a few minutes she totally agreed and told me that I couldn't and shouldn't take the 3 hour test, that I would get super sick, and I was like "duh!" (totally valley girl there). Anyway she told me to ell my OBGYN that I had talked to her and for her to give me a fasting blood test.
The day of my appointment I figured I would end this that day! I woke up and fasted till my appointment at 2pm thinking I would "tell" my doctor what I was going to do and get my blood drawn that day! Well that didn't happen at all...Sarah, my NP, said I should never fast like that again! Going all night and all day like that with no food for Makayla is not good. When I told her that I had had 1/2 of a frappacino before the test she said that may have bumps me over to the 157. Sarah said if I didn't want to take the three hour test the only other thing she could do is just treat me as if I had GD and refer me to the Diabetes Center. They could give me a machine and I would have to test my blood every hour after I ate...for a few days! A fasting blood test was not an option at all.
So I weighed my options...an hour of throwing up and pooping or a few days of pricks and test, I elected the hour of misery.
The 3 hour test consists of the lab taking one sample of my blood before I drink the glucose and one drawing every hour after I drink it, for 3 hours. So I went in to the lab that following Monday prepared for the worst. Drank the orange crap, which was double the amount of glucose but the same fluid amount, dam near puked and passed out for an hour in the chair. I woke up for my second blood draw feeling like crap...again, my head was spinning and my body felt like it weighed a ton! The lab staff was super helpful though. They let me rest in the lab on one of the little chair/couch things they had and after about 2 hours I was feeling much better.
Now, since I heard back from my OBGYN office so fast the first time, I figured I would know the results in about the same time...no. I took that test Monday September 8th, I had to call today to find out my results...passed.
So I guess the question is, was it worth it? I would say yes. Now I know I don't have to worry about Makayla, and I don't have to worry about possibly getting diabetes in the future. Knowing is defiantly better!
Makayla is growing up so fast!! Where did the time go? She has so much fun with her play group friends, she just loves them, and so do I.
