The surprising results of my glucose screening
Last Thursday, I had my glucose screening, a one-hour test used to check for gestational diabetes.
(You can read about my early screen here.)
My appointment was scheduled for 9:30 am, and the nurse told me that I could eat breakfast as long as it was consumed no later than two hours before my test.
Since I turn into Oscar the Grouch when I do not eat, this made me very happy.
I figured that I should avoid any sugary fruits, so I made a breakfast of egg whites mixed with kale, mushrooms, red bell pepper strips, and red onions and had some toasted sprouted wheat and rye bread on the side.
When I arrived at the doctor’s office, I was seen immediately, chugged a standard 50 grams of the nasty sugary solution, and got to hear our baby’s heartbeat. Before I knew it, an hour had passed, and it was time for my blood to be drawn.
Being that I showed no symptoms of diabetes, I figured that everything would check out just fine.
I never thought that I’d fail the test.
However, the doctors like to see scores below 130 and considered my blood sugar to be too high at 145.
This meant, I’d have to come back in again to take a three-hour test and drink 100 grams of solution to be certain that I didn’t have gestational diabetes.
To be honest, I debated whether or not I was going to share this with all of you simply because….well, I was embarrassed.
After all, I’m supposed to be the picture of health, right?
Sure, I give into a random pregnancy craving for doughnuts or cookies here and there, but I have not overdone it by any means.
Overall, I’ve followed a very healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruit, grains, and protein…
I’ve continued to do moderate forms of exercise…
And I’ve gained a healthy amount of weight.
The doctor reassured me that a lot of healthy women end up with test results that show elevated blood sugar, and he would be completely shocked if I had gestational diabetes.
Michael, who can research the heck out anything, also read up on the test and learned that it’s very common for women to fail the one-hour test.
Even so, I was still pretty bummed.
My three-hour long follow-up test was yesterday. Since the drink usually makes me feel sick and this one was even more concentrated, Michael offered to sit through the appointment with me.
He’s a sweet man.
When we arrived at the doctor’s office, I went back to the lab to have my blood drawn after fasting for ten hours.
Yep. My worst nightmare- I had to fast.
After my blood was drawn, I had to drink the icky sugary stuff.
The drink was definitely sweeter than the others that I had to chug down, but I just put on a happy face, talked with the nurse about our mutual love for Steve Harvey, and did what I needed to do.
From there, I was told that I’d have my blood drawn every hour for the next three hours.
Unfortunately, I have the worst veins ever, and they just don’t like to give blood. Therefore, I was pricked with the needle (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) a total of nine times.
Once my arms were sucked dry, the nurse had to draw from the tops of my hands.
Let’s just say, it wasn’t fun, and my hands are very swollen and bruised today.
Nevertheless, the time went by pretty quickly and having Michael there definitely helped.
He knows his wife well and immediately took me to Firehouse Subs for lunch after the appointment- although to be honest, the drink squashed my appetite in a major way and made me very nauseated.
(Veggie sub on whole wheat with a pickle on the side because all pregnant women need pickles.)
We won’t know the results of the test until next week, but at this point, I’m not going to stress about it. I know that I’ve been taking care of myself and the baby throughout this pregnancy and that’s the very best that I can possibly do.
If it turns out that I have gestational diabetes, we’ll deal with it- but please keep your fingers crossed that everything turns out to be just fine! I’ll definitely keep you posted on the results.
Have you ever had to take the three-hour test after failing the one-hour test? What was your experience?
Are you one of the crazy people who actually liked the solution? 
I’ll check back in later with my healthy eats of the week!
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Hello and welcome to The Grass Skirt- a lifestyle blog written by the world's biggest Lionel Richie fan. Be sure to visit my "About" page to learn more about me and The Grass Skirt. Thanks for visiting!
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I am keeping my fingers crossed for you! And if for some reason it doesn’t come back negative, PLEASE don’t feel like it’s a reflection on you – everyone’s body reacts differently to pregnancy and that’s all GD is – another weird pregnancy thing that happens to women pretty randomly. GOOD LUCK!!!
Thanks, Jenny! You’re the sweetest.
Hi Erin! Don’t stress! Because my son was thought to be some tremendous baby growing inside of me, they skipped over the one hour and had me do the 3 hour straight away! Everything worked out in my favor.
When are you due?
Thanks, Tara. That makes me feel better! I am due on 10/24. We could have a Halloween baby.
Good luck, dear! I second the comment above and agree that GD isn’t a reflection on your overall health. Can’t wait to see you next week!
Thanks, Sara! I am so excited to see you and Elena next week!!!!
Good luck! I’ll be crossing my fingers and looking forward to seeing a happy blog post next week
You’re very sweet. I certainly hope to deliver some good news next week!
Yikes, so sorry you’re going through all of this! To be honest, I didn’t know gestational diabetes existed. Thank you for sharing your experience. My fingers are crossed for you!
Thanks, Jenn!
I had GD with my second son. It was a little scary at first, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise for me. Before his pregnancy, I was a terrible eater. I could count on one hand the number of veggies I would eat. Having GD helped me listen to my body. When my blood sugar was off, I knew it, and I could take action to get it under control. I also learned to love all veggies! As for Adam (who is now 8), I like to call him “my little vegetarian”. He is by far the healthiest eater of my three children, and he is very picky about what kind meat he will eat, if any.
If for some insane reason you do have GD, do not be afraid. For me, it immediately went away when Adam was born. Just be slightly afraid of birthing a big baby. Adam was almost 9 lbs! lol
Thanks so much, Melissa! I haven’t gained much weight, but maybe it is all baby. God help me if he’s 9 pounds. You’re a trooper! LOL.
Fingers crossed for you. Good luck!
Thank you!
I did the 3 hour glucose test during my first pregnancy, because I had an exponential weight gain between week 20 – 24, and my doctor was concerned. Fortunately, I passed! I think you’ll be okay, don’t stress too much about it. You’ve been taking care of yourself. Good luck!
Stopping by from SITS Sharefest.
Thanks so much and for stopping by!
I am honestly shocked and surprised that I never failed the one hour test because I pretty much survive on cokes and donuts when i’m pregnant. And I actually liked the drink. I think this may speak to my body’s need for constant amounts of major glucose in order to survive… I hope all turns out well for you with the results of this test!
LOL. I have a couple of friends who would buy that drink in stores if it was available, so you’re not alone!
Ugh. I just went for the 3 hour non-gestational test so I know how you feel. That drink is nasty!
Stopping by from SITS
It certainly is nasty! I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish it without throwing up! Thanks for stopping by.