My OB ordered the long glucose tolerance test, and a repeat hemoglobin level because my iron is prone to being on the low side. There are new guidelines for gestational diabetes testing and they've now eliminated the screening test and skip right to the full test. It involves fasting overnight, getting a baseline blood draw, drinking a sickeningly sweet liquid much like orange pop without the fizz, and then having blood drawn an hour later and again two hours later to see how your body clears the glucose. I decided to book the day off work, because it would take most of the morning at the lab to get through the testing, and I figured I wouldn't feel great following.
I ate a snack in the evening prior to the test, but woke up around 2am hungry with a baby nudging my side. It took a while to get back to sleep, but I managed to sleep until 6:30 or so. I always eat breakfast straight away when I first get up, so I had to write myself a big note on the fridge reminding me not to eat this morning. I drank some water, had my shower, and set off for the lab.
There is always a line up of seniors there before the 7:30am opening. Ah yes, there were even some familiar faces there from my many trips for estradiol checks. I've never quite figured out why they all come so early when they are not fasting or having to rush off to work.
I took my number from the ticket machine and spotted an empty chair in the foyer, and quickly laid my claim. I've given up my seat so many times before for elderly people or pregnant women -not today, I was keeping my buns firmly planted there.
I waited about 40 minutes for my name to be called. The tech drew my blood and then gave me the large cup of orange syrup and set a timer -I had to get the full thing down in 5 minutes or less. It took me back to being 8 years old at a McDonalds birthday party. I noticed another middle aged woman across from me who was also drinking the liquid. She chugged hers while I sipped mine. Gag... I got my drink down just under the 5 minute wire.
The tech then attached the timer to my requisition slip and gave me the drill about what would happen next. I'd need to sit still for an hour and have my blood drawn, and then repeat after another hour. No leaving the waiting area, and no walking around allowed.
Fortunately I remembered to bring a book, and I actually finished the whole thing over the course of the morning. I also find it interesting to people watch. It's always interesting to overhear the types of tests people are getting. There were lots of routine blood cell counts, and urine tests. Then there are the young guys rushing in red-faced with little paper bags -I can only guess that they are semen samples. Ughh... and don't forget the stool samples... don't take the chair next to that drop off basket.
Anyway, back to my book...
I heard my name called for the 3rd blood draw, but when I went to take a seat in room 1, there was already the other woman doing the GTT sitting in the chair. The lab tech prepped the equipment needed and then came out to get something else, she looked confused and asked why I was standing in the hall when I hadn't been called. I told her that I thought I had been called, but maybe I misheard. She clarified my name and it turned out she had nearly mixed me up with the other woman. She asked her to go back and take her seat for a minute while she took my blood. The other woman then said in a whiny voice, pointing at me "but she finished her drink after I did, why does she get to go first?" The tech explained that although we were both doing glucose tolerance tests, mine was a bit different because it was a pregnancy one, and that it was when the drink was started, not when it was finished that was important for the timing. She sulked back to her seat and let me into the blood draw room. Jeesh!
I was running out of arm space by the last blood draw. At least she was skilled at finding veins. I honestly think though that I've become a bit numb on the inside of my elbow after all of the infertility blood work I've had done.
After my 3 hour stay, I was finally released from the lab with a headache and a hungry tummy. I treated myself to a breakfast burrito and a decaf at a nearby coffee shop before driving home. I was fairly sleepy following.
After I woke up from an afternoon nap, I checked online for my results. Good news, it looks like I don't have gestational diabetes -hooray! My hemoglobin levels were a bit below the normal range, however, so I suspect my OB will have me increase my iron supplement a bit.
That's great that you passed the diabetes testing! One less thing to worry about.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting what you mentioned about the new guidelines. Looks like here in US we still do the short glucose screening test first and only people who fail it go for the long test. Have a great weekend. Nina
I'm a pharmacist and one of the secrets to getting enough iron is to take your iron supplement with something acidic. That changes the iron from ferrous sulphate to ferric sulphate, which is better absorbed by your body. I took my iron supplement with orange juice when I was pregnant. My OB checked my blood work and told me that my iron levels were great and whatever I was doing to keep doing it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do take the iron with orange juice and not with meals or dairy products because calcium can impair absorption. I must need more supplemental iron than some people because I was on the prenatal + ferrous gluconate regime for a couple of years prior to getting pregnant and my levels were always in the low normal range and stayed that way through the first half of the pregnancy. With the fetal demands on my iron stores, perhaps it is no longer enough.
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