So I am in the waiting room at the hospital. I decided to do a little timeline of events since so many people have asked what the 3 hour GTT is and how it affects people. I am going to be the real life guinea pig for anyone that wants or cares to know. Here goes:
8:20- Got dropped off at the hospital by my husband and had my first blood draw which was for the fasting. I asked if I would be able to discontinue the test if I failed the fasting portion and they said, no. They won't know the results until the afternoon so I have to take the whole thing either way. Awesome news!
My fasting blood draw caused a small hematoma, of course and I bled through a whole gauze so they had to re-do it. Why can't the tips of my finders bleed like that?!
8:22- I choked down drank the bottle of the Glucola solution in about 4 minutes (did you know that shit has 450 calories??...gross!). Set up in the waiting room with my laptop and huge bottle of water. The baby is going nuts right now. Poor thing is experiencing sugar shock.
9:26- First test blood draw. They drew from the same arm (left). Next time the will draw from the right arm. So far I feel ok. Mainly tired. I would love to take a nap, but I would feel weird sleeping in the lobby so I am trying to work instead.
10:06- Boooooring. Working isn't really going so great because I am not in the mood.
10:26- Second test draw. They drew from the right arm this time. Starting to befriend the ladies in the lab. Still feeling ok. No shakiness, or sweating, or upset stomach. Just tired!
10:30- Met with the nutritionist and her assistant. They weighed me first. I was about 138. So I lost a pound since last week. I was expecting this with the changed diet and they were ok with that. She mentioned a weight gain for someone my size and starting weight of 119 would be 25-25. She thought I was on track to hit that.
The nutritionist was very nice and very impressed with my knowledge and preparedness. She wasn't concerned with my numbers, but asked that if I am diagnosed and continue to test regularly that I test 1 hour after meals instead of 2 hours after. They would like my levels under 90 for fasting and under 140 an hour after meals (if testing 2 hours after, lower than 120). She was impressed with my 2 hour numbers. She went over the diet that I already started and was quite happy with it, but wanted to make a few modifications.
She would like to see me take in 2100 calories a day, 40% of that being carbs (210 grams a day). She wanted to see the carb breakdown in the following manner (in grams):
Breakfast- 30
Snack- 30
Lunch- 45
Snack- 30
(extra snack with exercise, if necessary)
Dinner- 45
Snack- 30
A few other things she mentioned were making sure to pair protein with any carbs. She also let me know that if a serving has more than 5 grams of fiber that I can subtract the grams of fiber from the carbs. She considers the following "free" foods since they have so few carbs: asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, all greens, mushrooms (yuck), onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, salad, tomatoes, zucchini, lean meats, low fat cheeses, fish, egg whites (yuck), beans (black, lentil, garbanzo), soy products (yuck), avocados, nuts, peanut butter with no added sugar, oils (olive, canola, corn are preferred).
She said that even if I did not fail the test that she would recommend I stick with this diet. I was fine with this. I left the appointment feeling good, but wicked hungry after seeing all of the fake foods.
11:20- Got a call from my husband saying he could pick me up if I was done. I had been expecting to take the subway/train and was overjoyed that my last draw was in 6 minutes! Still feeling ok, physically. Starting to get really hungry though.
11:26- Third and final test draw. I went for the right arm one last time so I was balanced with 2 on each side. Both arms are sore now. :( So happy to be done!
11:40- Husband picked me up and I ate my snacks: Kind Madagascar Vanilla Nut bar, a few whole organic wheat crackers (similar to T.riscuit), string cheese, clementine, some organic pepperoni slices. Oh man that was the best thing I ever ate. I started to feel a little sick after eating it because I ate so fast and then I got really sleepy.
12:30- Got home and decided to take a nap since I decided to take the rest of the day off. I slept for 3 hours. Very nice.
5:00- No call from the hospital, so I guess I'll have to wait for tomorrow to get my results. I am armed and ready to face this failure (not sure my fingers are though)!!!
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You must be so relieved that ordeal is over! Good luck with your results. My husband is Indian and genetically disposed to diabetes. His father and brother both have Type 2 diabetes and he has always known he has to be extra vigilant with regards to his diet. I am also aware that our children will inherit the risk...We both love to cook and over the years have put together quite a repertoire of very low carb dishes using the sorts of ingredients your nutritionist recommended. I will email you a list of links to some of our favourite yummy recipes! Alix xx Btw I DESPISE mushrooms too!
ReplyDeleteWhat an ordeal. My arms hurt just reading this. I have decided that doing things right is for the birds. You are so healthy and conscious and still this happens? As if you haven't been through enough unfairness with your body. I am a high carb dieter big time. I LOVE my carbs. I have used myfitnesspal in the past and it is a great app! But I also now know that I eat entirely too many carbs and too much sodium.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get back good results. You deserve a break. This pregnancy has been hard enough.
I just saw your latest ultrasound pic. That little boy is looking good!