So one of many tests a pregnant woman goes through is the glucose test to see if you are a risk (or already have) of having gestational diabetes. For accurate information sharing, I will have you click on the link for more information. All pregnant go through a 1-hour glucose test and guess who failed last week – me! Ha! No, I did not have frappucino right before the test, but I did have a bowl of cereals and banana 3 hours before the test so who knows if that contributed anyway. Most doctors these days will tell you that it’s not necessary to fast as long as you avoid high carbs and sugar before the test. Well, this #hungrypreggo decided to eat this morning. The cut-off number is 140, but I ended up getting 150. The 1-hour test is simply a screening test so there shouldn’t be a reason for me to get so upset, but I sure was! I was worked up about it all day when I found out. I think I was upset because I felt like my body failed me or the baby (again, I was overreacting that day). Thankfully, my hubby finally calmed me down that down using his typical doctor demeanor (when does he ever freak out?) so all was well again.
Anyway, what this means that I had to take the dreadful 3-hour test, which happened on Friday. To give you a quick rundown of what’s involved, you show up as early as you can to drink 100mg of sugar drink which tastes like a gross version of orange Fanta (but it’s honestly not that bad). You get blood drawn 4 times – right before you drink the liquid, 1 hour (after you drink), 2 hours, and then 3 hours later. You do have to fast for this test so you are essentially sitting in the hospital waiting room for 3 hours being extremely hungry (hangry) and dehydrated. For me, the lab staff did not want me to drink any water during those 3 hours either so that felt more torturous more than anything. If you have an experienced nurse, getting your blood drawn that many times shouldn’t be too bad except my veins were difficult to find most likely due to the fact that my body was already dehydrated from fasting for 8+ hours. So, I now have a gigantic bruise on my left arm; that too shall heal.
Some people say that they get extreme sickness during the test. While my body didn’t react that badly, I did have an unpleasant headache during the first hour. The nurse explained that it is probably due to the rush of high dose sugar running through my body. It did get better each hour although I felt tired all morning. I agree with what you read on the internet – do bring a couple of things to keep you busy whether that is a book, magazine, or your phone. Quite honestly, I ended up closing my eyes and attempting to take a nap most of the time because I felt so tired. Also, make sure to bring some snack that you can eat right after the last blood is drawn. I would suggest something high protein like hard-boiled eggs or a PB&J sandwich to help breakdown the sugar faster. I also brought a bottle of water in which I immediately chugged the whole thing. You will definitely feel the dehydration.
Hoping that I am NOT diagnosed with gestational diabetes but we shall see! Good luck to all mamas out there who have to take the 3 hours test sooner or later.
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