Community
calvingirl's Pregnancy
My Due Date: I suffered a pregnancy lossAge: 48 years old
View All My Journal Entries
29 + 3 weeks : Holy Diabetes Relief, Batman!
By calvingirl » Posted Oct. 19, 2018 5:23pm - 291 views - 3 comments
So about a month ago, I failed the glucose test and they told me to start monitoring my sugars and my diet. Two weeks later, I met with the GD nurse and she checked out the monitor I'd ordered from Amazon (Care Touch), said it was ok, but the Freestyle one was better and insurance paid for it. So she ordered it and I paid the $65 co-pay and brought it home.
Only thing is, I'd gotten used to my other monitor, so it just laid there in a bag in my bedroom for a while. Then I melted down this last weekend - completely freaking lost it. Felt awful. Stayed in bed all weekend, too weak to move. Only cried because "something was wrong" and I was convinced that this "diet" was killing my baby. I got so worked up, I couldn't eat anything. Nauseous all the time, gagged when I tried to eat, etc. Meanwhile, even forcing food down me, my blood sugars were completely out of control. Not super high, but ranging in the 140-160 post meal range, and always over 100 fasting. I tried every combination and nothing worked!! I ended up putting the monitor down for a couple of days to take a mental break and ate healthy, but normal.
My energy came back...no more nausea...my bump came back and I started gaining weight again (I had lost 8lbs at this point). So I told my OB that I accepted I was high risk, that I'd probably need to get on insulin because the diet just wasn't working, and they agreed and put in my transfer papers. This wouldn't be a big deal but as I said before, I really don't want to give birth in the same hospital my son died in.
My sister suggested me visiting it beforehand so if I was going to flashback and freak out, I'd do it NOT on the day of induction, but when I could afford to cry in my car about it. Desensitize myself, so to speak. This was a good idea. Starting to accept this change of plans gave me hope. I felt good.
Then my blood work from the GD nurse came back...my A1C was 4.9!! To give you reference, that means that in the last couple of months, my average blood sugar was 94. It's an absolutely beautiful A1C score, even on the low side. This didn't make sense...how could I have uncontrolled GD if I have an A1C of 4.9?
Hence we come back to the monitor. I pulled out the freestyle lite monitor that the nurse ordered me. I calibrated and then tried it after a carb-loaded dinner. I tried both machines. My old monitor said 145. My NEW ONE said 125!! Then the next morning, the new monitor said 74!! I've NEVER gotten a reading under 100. The @#$%ing monitor was bad!! It's been reading high this whole time. My diet HAS been keeping it under control. I'm NOT crazy. I felt sick because I had LOW blood sugar and I wasn't eating enough.
Anyway, I've done a couple readings since then, and they are consistently 20 pts lower than the old monitor. So moral of the story: Don't use "care touch glucose monitor" and I should trust my instincts more. Something was wrong and I knew it. It just wasn't with me...but the technology.
I have my next appt with the GD nurse in two weeks, so I'll be able to give her some more accurate readings and avoid the insulin. SOOO relieved!!
My Journal
29 + 3 weeks : Holy Diabetes Relief, Batman!
By calvingirl » Posted Oct. 19, 2018 5:23pm - 291 views - 3 comments
So about a month ago, I failed the glucose test and they told me to start monitoring my sugars and my diet. Two weeks later, I met with the GD nurse and she checked out the monitor I'd ordered from Amazon (Care Touch), said it was ok, but the Freestyle one was better and insurance paid for it. So she ordered it and I paid the $65 co-pay and brought it home.
Only thing is, I'd gotten used to my other monitor, so it just laid there in a bag in my bedroom for a while. Then I melted down this last weekend - completely freaking lost it. Felt awful. Stayed in bed all weekend, too weak to move. Only cried because "something was wrong" and I was convinced that this "diet" was killing my baby. I got so worked up, I couldn't eat anything. Nauseous all the time, gagged when I tried to eat, etc. Meanwhile, even forcing food down me, my blood sugars were completely out of control. Not super high, but ranging in the 140-160 post meal range, and always over 100 fasting. I tried every combination and nothing worked!! I ended up putting the monitor down for a couple of days to take a mental break and ate healthy, but normal.
My energy came back...no more nausea...my bump came back and I started gaining weight again (I had lost 8lbs at this point). So I told my OB that I accepted I was high risk, that I'd probably need to get on insulin because the diet just wasn't working, and they agreed and put in my transfer papers. This wouldn't be a big deal but as I said before, I really don't want to give birth in the same hospital my son died in.
My sister suggested me visiting it beforehand so if I was going to flashback and freak out, I'd do it NOT on the day of induction, but when I could afford to cry in my car about it. Desensitize myself, so to speak. This was a good idea. Starting to accept this change of plans gave me hope. I felt good.
Then my blood work from the GD nurse came back...my A1C was 4.9!! To give you reference, that means that in the last couple of months, my average blood sugar was 94. It's an absolutely beautiful A1C score, even on the low side. This didn't make sense...how could I have uncontrolled GD if I have an A1C of 4.9?
Hence we come back to the monitor. I pulled out the freestyle lite monitor that the nurse ordered me. I calibrated and then tried it after a carb-loaded dinner. I tried both machines. My old monitor said 145. My NEW ONE said 125!! Then the next morning, the new monitor said 74!! I've NEVER gotten a reading under 100. The @#$%ing monitor was bad!! It's been reading high this whole time. My diet HAS been keeping it under control. I'm NOT crazy. I felt sick because I had LOW blood sugar and I wasn't eating enough.
Anyway, I've done a couple readings since then, and they are consistently 20 pts lower than the old monitor. So moral of the story: Don't use "care touch glucose monitor" and I should trust my instincts more. Something was wrong and I knew it. It just wasn't with me...but the technology.
I have my next appt with the GD nurse in two weeks, so I'll be able to give her some more accurate readings and avoid the insulin. SOOO relieved!!
Comments for this Journal Entry
 | Comment from calvingirl » Posted Oct. 22, 2018 10:38pm No, I found this out too late - they've already done the paperwork and frankly, they didn't fight me on it at all. I think they would've kicked me to the curb eventually. Considering it's taking them 3 wks to get me scheduled, I'm glad I did it now and not later on. |
 | Comment from ericalee2 » Posted Oct. 22, 2018 5:28pm Oh I am so happy for you!! I am glad you figured out the monitor was bad now and didn't keep using it and continuing to feel like poo! So does this mean you aren't transferring care? |
 | Comment from FlamingoGirl13 » Posted Oct. 19, 2018 5:31pm So relived for you too! Sounds like this will be a much better weekend then last. This will make the rest of your pregnancy easier too. I'm glad you trusted your body and stopped monitoring for a bit. |
