3 Hour Blood Glucose Test

Today we went and did the 3 hour blood glucose test and it was everything I expected it to be.

First they had me do a urine sample.  This surprised me.  No one told me about this part so I had actually just went before we left the house.  Luckily I was able to squeeze a little out.

Then they took the first blood draw.  This was not so bad.  I had the same lady I've had the past two times and she did a really good job.  Then I drank the nasty sugar drink like I was downing a shot.  Might as well get it over with, right?  Then we went back to the waiting area for the next hour.

That first hour was not so fun.  I kept having waves of feeling sweaty and lightheaded.  There were a couple of times I thought I might throw up.  Finally the hour was up and we reported for the next blood draw.  The same nice nurse asked how I was feeling.  I told her I didn't feel very good and told her about it.  She took my blood and then had me walk over to the OBGYN's office where they gave me a room where I could lie down for a while.  That's when I started to feel shaky and cold.  I had a blanket but I still felt cold.  And then I started crying.  I don't know why I was crying, but I was, and that upset me even more.  That was a hard hour.

Another nurse came by when the hour was up and took the next blood draw in that room.  I was starting to feel a little better so I sat up for about twenty minutes just to see how it would go and I felt like I could go sit in the waiting room area with everyone else, so we went back out there.  Eventually our time was up and it was time for the last blood draw.

Another different nurse took us and seated us.  She looked at both my arms that by now each had bruises on them.  When she pressed on the bruises they were tender.  I could tell she was nervous and that made me nervous.  She tied the band around my right arm (it was the right arms turn) but quickly changed her mind.  She kept saying "hhmmmm..." and "um....."  Thankfully she said she was going to have someone else come and look at it.  In walked the first nurse that I like!!  This made me feel a lot better.  She looked at both arms and asked me which one I wanted to have it taken from.  I asked her if she was going to do it.  She said yes!!  I said, "Then you pick.  You do a good job and I trust you."  She chose the left arm that had already been poked twice (first draw, and third draw).  She said she was sorry they had bruised and I told her the left arm didn't bruise when she did it the first time and that it was from the other nurse.  She took the last blood draw and I always have to look away.  This time I watched Jake's face and I could tell something was going on.  I asked him about it when we got back to the Jeep and he said she went right through the vein and had to wiggle it around and try to get back into it.  Joy.  This is why I can't watch these things.  That I don't like the sight of the blood getting sucked up into the vial.  *shudder*

Then we came home and ate some food and Jake went to work.  I took a two hour nap.  My house is a mess but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  My arms hurt!!  I know I'm a pansy but that's what my 3-day weekends are for and I think I can spend today recovering and tackle it tomorrow!  The puppies have been unusually good today.  I think they know that I don't have the energy to play with them and make them mind today.  They have been taking naps with me!! 

Hopefully the test results come back completely normal.  And hopefully they won't take two and a half weeks to tell me about them!!  This week marks 32 weeks, so only 8 more to go.  Jake has to work all this weekend but in exchange he has all of next weekend off, so we are going to Portland to celebrate our anniversary that is on the twelfth.  We are planning to go to the Portland Zoo!!  I'm pretty excited!! 

All right.....

3 hour blood glucose test scheduled for Friday. 

I'm slightly annoyed about it. 

But mostly apprehensive.  I hate having my blood drawn. 

Update to follow..........


(Help!)

Blood Glucose and 31 weeks.

In our last post I shared with you about the one hour glucose screening test and how hopeful I was that I wouldn't get a follow-up phone call for it.  I waited one week......no phone call.  I must be home free!!  They said if I didn't hear from them in a week I was golden!! YAY!!  Then the next week passes, and finally Tuesday this week rolls around (two and a half weeks AFTER the test).  And the lady on the message that was left tells me I failed the glucose screening test and that I need to come back in and take the 3-hour glucose test and that they can just go ahead and do that on Friday when I come in for my regular appointment.  Like it's no big deal!!  I have a few problems with this.  1.  I don't fail" things.  I don't accept the word "failure".  2.  I did some research on gestational diabetes and I don't have any of the risk factors or classic symptoms (I wasn't overweight before I got pregnant, I don't have parents or siblings with diabetes, I am not from an ethnic group predisposed to being diabetic, I haven’t previously given birth to a baby over 9 pounds, I haven’t had any unusual or increased nausea or fatigue, etc).  3.  I really didn’t like that they just decided we could come in on Friday and do it.  Since they have to take your blood four times for this test and you might feel lightheaded, they recommend you have someone with you that can drive you home after the test.  Jake has to work on Friday, and it is an important day for him to be at work and on time because the big boss is down and they are having an all staff meeting.  The closest family we have is 800 miles away, and my closest Oregon friend was leaving town on Thursday night so she couldn’t take me.  So a Friday 3-hour blood glucose test wasn’t going to work for me, plus, I wanted to talk with our doctor and see what our options were and the risks/benefits, etc.  I am a dental hygienist.  I wanted my informed consent before care!!  ;)

 

Fast forward to today: Friday.  I have only gained two pounds since my last visit and my blood pressure was 112/62.  Awesome!!  I feel like I gained so much more than two pounds.  I was really nervous that it would be way more than that since I feel like I have gotten so much bigger around in the past three weeks!  I measured 31 centimeters and that is perfectly on track for being 31 weeks!!  Baby Boy’s heart rate was good and his head was right in the middle today.  My doctor said he understands that the 3 hour test is kind of a pain in the rear to have to go through, especially if you find out at the end that you are not diabetic.  The only other option is to see if we can get a glucose monitor approved and have me check my blood glucose several times a day over a period of time and see what it is.  He went over the risks to the baby if I were to be diabetic and didn’t have my blood sugars under control.  He told us we didn’t have to decide today and allowed us to take the weekend to decide and call him on Tuesday.  I really like our doctor and I’m glad he took the time to go over our options with us instead of his nurse the other day on the phone just telling me what to do.  Jake was at the appointment but had to go straight to work so we haven't had time to talk about what we want to do.  I will update when we decide!! 

Third Trimester Begins!

We are officially in the third trimester!!  This sounds really exciting on one hand, but on the other hand, it really scares me!!  We are getting closer and closer to "The Big Day" which makes me super nervous.  Plus....we are almost parents!!!  :o

Today was another doctor's appointment.  First we went over to the lab and I had to drink the glucose water stuff.  It didn't taste as bad as I had prepared myself for.  But it still didn't taste good.  Luckily I didn't have to drink as much as I thought I did!!  Then we went over to the doctor's office while we waited for an hour for the blood draw.  Today he was planning on giving me the Pertussis vaccine, but I brought my vaccination record with me and he looked at it and said I already had it so I didn't need it again!!  :D  Score one for "Team Avoid Needles!!"  Yes!!  I'm right on target with my weight gain so far, and my blood pressure is great!!  Baby Boy's heart-rate is in the upper 150's and I am measuring good!  From now on our appointments will be getting closer and closer together.  Our doctor said our next one will be in 3 weeks and then after that we might have another 3 week one or we might change over to every 2 weeks.  Eventually we will be seeing him every week!  We went back over to the lab and they took my blood, which actually hurt more than the last time they did it, even though I had the same lady.  :/  Our doctor said he would call us in the next week if I failed the glucose test (which means I would then have to go take a 3 hour glucose test instead of this one hour and they would poke me MORE times and make me drink more of that nasty drink) or if I'm anemic (so he can put me on iron supplements).  Hopefully my phone doesn't ring.  ;)

This last weekend was really fun.  We had a baby shower in Pocatello, ID, while we were in town to get Jake's braces off.  My friend Denise had a really fun game planned involving candy bars and matching them to baby phrases and topics.  It was hard!!  Jake's mom made some DELICIOUS cupcakes (red velvet with a cream cheese frosting) that had monkey topper things on them.  They were super cute!!  Baby Boy was seriously spoiled by friends and family.  We got a lot of cute clothes, shoes, socks, and other essentials like diapers, burping cloths, bibs, wipes, and more!!  It was nice to know that so many people care about and love Baby Boy already.  <3.  Thanks, everyone!!

I don't have a any pics of the Baby Shower, but I do have this pic of my handsome husband with his braces off:

I'm such a lucky lady!!  He looks really good!!  Love you, honey!!  <3!!!   :D