3 Hour Glucose Test

Here I sit at Kaiser during the first of 3 one-hour sessions this morning.  I failed my 1-hour glucose test by 7 points, which means I now have to do the 3-hour test.  For those of you who don’t know, some people develop diabetes during pregnancy, so doctors test all pregnant women for gestational diabetes.  Gestational diabetes can cause babies to grow too much in the womb and have a high birth weight, it can also lead to risk factors for childhood obesity and breathing problems.

The initial test is only an hour and relatively easy.  You drink a super sugary drink and then they draw blood an hour later to see how well the body handles the sugar.  You can go down to the lab after a regular check up, the drink tastes a bit like orange Gatorade, wait an hour and get your blood drawn.  The three-hour test is a lot more involved and a lot more annoying.  It requires fasting prior to taking the test (so I have not had anything to eat since 9pm last night), then you have to drink a drink that is twice as sweet as the Gatorade flavored one and it’s fruit punch flavored.  I HATE fruit punch.  Then they draw your blood every hour for 3 hours to see if your body can handle it.  So by the time this test is done, I will have not eaten anything except that ridiculously sweet beverage from 9pm last night until noon today.  I don’t know about you, but I consider that cruel and unusual punishment to make a pregnant lady not eat for that long!  And to top it all off, I’m here on a Saturday.  Pro: I don’t have to take half a day off work to get this test done.  Con: I have waste a quarter of my weekend on it. (Which is especially annoying since I am hosting a bridal shower for one of my dear friends tomorrow and would much rather be spending this time shopping, cleaning the house and prepping food for tomorrow.)

I really hope I don’t actually have gestational diabetes and that this failed 1-hour test was just a fluke.  I’m certainly not in a high-risk category: I’m still active, I eat mostly healthy, my starting weight was healthy and I haven’t gained an inordinate amount of weight.  I guess it’s not the end of the world if I do – they’ll just give me a modified diet and tell me to get more exercise . . . right?  Avoiding refined sugars would be easy for me (though I would miss the occasional cookie or ice cream).  It’s watching for natural sugars that would be a pain.  Having to be careful about eating apples or bananas would be super annoying.

I’ll check in between each blood draw and let you know how I’m feeling and how that sickly sweet drink is affecting me.

First Hour:

I’m hungry & nauseous.  That drink is waaay too sweet.  If only I could have a sandwich . . . ah well, better not fantasize about food too much since I have 3 hours left of this thing.  Ugh.  Good thing I brought both my laptop and a book.

Second Hour:

Still hungry, but almost feel like I’m at that “beyond the point of hunger” point.  That is, until I start thinking about food.  Bonus: Kaiser has wi-fi so I can surf the internet during this ordeal.  Glad I brought my laptop.  Honestly, as annoying as this is, I guess I can look on the bright side: I have 3 hours to myself to read or write or do whatever . . . except eat, that is.

3^rd Hour:

I will not puke, I will no puke, I will not puke . . .

If you puke, they make you do the whole thing all over again.  I will not be that person.  So glad I packed a sandwich that is waiting for me in the car.  Not sure it would be safe for me to drive without putting something in my belly first.  This is mean and cruel . . . but there’s only an hour left and then I can eat and get on with my day.

I will update with my results when & if I’m ready to share them.

On the plus side, Aaron sent me this adorable video of Guinevere.  I must have watched it at least 15 times during my 3 hour wait at Kaiser.