Anyone diabetic before pregnacy

[hawalkden]

Well ladies here is my weekly Thursday midwife/clinic rant..

Been up since 6 due to sciatica playing up all night and peanut booting me as a wake-up call. Appointment's at 9.10 so thought I'd have a noisy on B&B, got ready had 2 crumpets which I know wouldn't have filled me up even if I was in and out (unlikely I know I'm never just in and out when I see the diabetic team!).

Walking to the bus to get to the hospital and peanut decides it's playtime on my bladder. I get into town and the only place that is open at 7.10 was Co-op and I knew full well the bus ride to the hospital I wouldn't last to go to the toilet so asked someone in Co-op if I could go to their staff toilet which they let me. Advantage of pregnancy eh ! Got this weird achievement I want to do whilst pregnant is to use a policemans hat if nowhere else I could use for the toilet! Random I know..

get to the hospital about 8.45 start reading the paper I though I needed to buy in Co-op, I thought I couldn't just use their toilet and leave! 9.00 came the waiting room gets busy. 9.35 still waiting feels like I'm the only lady who's name has been called out yet!

Finally my name gets called out. I thought I was only seeing the diabetic team but saw the obs team too which I thought great waiting longer when I get thrown back out! Dr does my blood pressure and checks peanuts heart all good. Student midwife takes my urine and its +++ glucoses high I know but first thing for me its always high! Dr pulled his face at that! Then he reads my notes and sees I'm not taking the tinzaparin I've been prescribed. So I get my first lecture of the day about why I should take them. I just ignore everything the said because if I've heard it once off him then I've heard it a million times off everyone else!

Back in the waiting room for about 20 minutes before get called in again. When I go in I have to wait for another Dr to come and see me, me thinking it was the new Diabetic Consultants Reg Dr (I refuse point blank to see the Diabetic Consultant; I had her when I was first diagnosed with Diabetes and was about to go to Kent to be a nanny and she sent to the new Dr down there that I was physiological unstable to look after children! So I wrote to PAL (complaints committee) who didn't get back to me..

whilest waiting in the room who walks in?!?! The Diabetic Consultant who I was on about and I just looked at her and said I refuse to talk to you. You clearly can't read; grabbing my hospital notes closing to the front page; where it says in red on a green post-it note 'Not to been seen by Dr Ramtolla'. Which is who was in front of me!! So I burst out crying because it's like this every week they just can't get the organisation right and I know the medical staff and midwife have millions of other expecting mums in the waiting room and they see millions everyday! But I don't think I'd miss a huge sign on the front of someones notes before opening them..

The Dr walked out and I saw my Diabetic Nurse who I believe should be on the same wage as that stupid Dr just for the pure fact when she ups my ratios and basal rates etc I believe my DSN knows a lot more at what shes talking about and makes it all clear the Consultant just us to take my pump off me change all the rates etc and give it back so I'd be totally confussed but she'd make me out to be thicker then ever because I should have read her mind at what she was doing..

Once DSN started looking my blood diary she smiled and knew I was doing a lot of hardwork e.g putting down the time, blood sugar, carbs and quick-acting insulin intake. The midwife in the room overlooked at the sugars and said I needed them to come down a lot!! Which I'm trying to do! Yes my bloods are running between 10-15 before meals but that to me is ace readings and it's not like I'm not trying to get them down. I've cut down on sweets, sugar in my tea and snacks. I have been doing a lot more thoughout the day to beat the afternoon binging!

Also DSN said after around 27 weeks every pregnant womans hormones make their sugars go up pre-diabetic, non-diabetics whoever it maybe so she was trying to reassure me as much as possible that if it wasn't for the extra hormones my blood would be in single figures. Which made me laugh at the midwife in the room she didn't know what to say back because she was saying I needed to calm down because my blood pressure will end up going to high and I'd end up in hospital sooner. Also at 8.30 when I was waiting I tested my bloods and they were 9.1 when I got out and when to finally get something to eat it was 19.1! So who can work out the maths when it comes to adding up the stress I'm under!

Well when I get a lecture off everyone I see about my diabetes every 2 weeks and not feeling when I go to the antenatal for the 'normal pregnancy' and checks (I do get all the pregnancy checks when I go) but I feel like I'm just on the Diabetic Unit but in the Antenatal Unit! If that makes sense!

My last hba1c was 8.4% and goes down but 0.2% every two weeks! If it wasn't for my DSN I don't think I'd turn up to the clinic at all. Just for the pure fact I can't cope with the stress any more. Every 2 weeks I'm worrying all day before I go and see whoever for the day and then come out crying. Then when I get home I'm taking it out on my OH who's been working all day and he's trying to understand as much as possible about the whole situation etc but he does get frustrated himself for seeing me the way I am. I've slept for the whole afternoon because I'm just so drained.

Sorry for the rant and I hope no one on here thinks I'm just being OTT and think I should make myself lucky for all the 'care' I'm getting. Yes I'm grateful for the nagging in a way when it comes to seeing the diabetic team every two weeks but I feel like when I'm coming out in tears it doesn't help my stress levels at all or blood sugars.

 

[capel]

They should be more supportive of you. Clearly all this stress is not helping. Can you show them the levels before and after app so they can see for themselves.

 

[hawalkden]

I did and they didn't say much just we'll see you in 2 weeks time keep up with writing them down etc!

So they tried to avoid the point I was making really!

 

[vintage67]

It is stunning how little some in the medical profession know about diabetes. I am very grateful that the ob that I see is himself a diabetic on a pump. The endocrinologist that I see went into that field of medicine because of the amount of diabetes in his family and he has been on a diabetic diet for yerars and monitors himself. I have ran into so many nurses and so-called diabetic educators over the years that know so little about diabetes, any type of diabetes.

 

[hawalkden]

Well said Vintage67 .. When peanuts older I want to train to become a Children's Nurse and become a DSN for children just becuase when I was dignosed at 18 my whole life was turned upside down and when 'nurses, docs and dsn' explain to you about it all they don't have to go home with the condition and I feel like I'm alone most of the time when Im in the consultants room getting their lectures

 

[gea]

Hi

I had GD when pregnant with my youngest son - my father has type 2 diabetes, so I have been screened for a few years to see if I got it too. So far not quite, but sometimes "borderline". I am now TTC (and maybe pregnant - hoping!).

I am overweight by about 25 lbs, trying to lose a bit on my way - taking time though.

My last pregnancy I had GD as said, and after a while it wasn't enough to try and regulate by eating what they specified - I had to use insulin the last few months of pregnancy. I am thinking it could mean that I might have to do the same this/next time - but much earlier? Have any of you any experience with that?

Also - I wonder if the insulin I might have to take, will affect weightgain during pregnancy? Although some weightgain is necessary, too much is hell - I have big problems with losing it again (for some reason my body doesn't react normally to eating healthy and exercising - I just seem to be status quo )

I hope some of you have some insights here, and can help me out of my misery

Babydust...

 

[hawalkden]

Only me again....

A question for INSULIN PUMP USERS

Just wondering how many times a week you change your site? DSN upped all my ratios and backgrounds by 0.5units and I changed it yestruday 'primed' everything and I know I've had a lazy pig out weekend and bloods have been great between 6-10 I'm getting there...

Anyway... just had tea and I've got 94.6units left before needs changing again... My sites are hurting though I go on my left and right side of my stomach and it's habit at the same area like when I use to inject after meals and get the insulin lumps...

Can anyone give me advice about whats the best way of getting around the sorness and less insulin usages!

Also need to order more reviours and canulla but the company I got them from phoned me the other day and said I've order to much within 3months and need the hospital to order them for me because they need proof I'm using them correctly and in range...

 

[pink23]

hi heather, i try and change mine every 3 days as sugested just so sites dont get sore. I find if i leave it longer the area gets swollern and leaves marks. I tend to use more if my tube doesnt work properly xx

 

[Springtime]

Hi Gea

I was pre-diabetic, or what they call impaired glucose tolerance before this pregnancy.
I a on insulin in this pregnancy. While its true high doses of insulin does cause weight gain, there's only two choices. Control my Blood sugar or control my weight gain. I try and balance the two.
Do you know what your numbers were when they diagnosed you as borderline diabetic? What test did they do and what were the test results?

 

[hawalkden]

I changed the whole this yeaturday and this morning about 4am it was bleeping at me saying it was low so need to change all again this morning :/

 

[pink23]

if your insulin is running low cant you just change the resevoir add more then just re use the infusion set ?? x

 

[hawalkden]

if your insulin is running low cant you just change the resevoir add more then just re use the infusion set ?? x

haha; not thought of that I'll do that next time ..

 

[pink23]

least then your only using the reseviors and just change the infusion set after the 3 days as usual xx

 

[hawalkden]

Another question !!

Open to all Type One Diabetics...

How do you deal with Hypos? What do you take? How long does it take to come round? & how do you feel before and after?

 

[shellshocked]

Hi ladies hope you are all well..............#

re hypos-
feeling- sweaty, dizzy, numb lips and tongue, get the shakes and slur my words (sound like a drunk!!)
treatment-150ml of lucozade if its during the night.
During the day- juice carton and a banana/cereal bar

Sometimes though I get the hypo monster and I cannot stop eating. That used to happen loads when I was younger not so much now. Its with those I get hideous rebounds! (as you'd expect) I always feel tired afterwards hypos are exhausting!!

 

[Tanikit]

I am not getting any signs of hypos right now and didn't during pregnancy either until I was totally unaware what was going on and other people had noticed, but at other times I sometimes get double vision so that I cannot read or use the computer, leave large gaps in my speech and just look spaced out. Tiredness was fairly common and feeling ice cold which most often happened when I was already recovering from a low.

These days I treat it with fruit juice (100% so no extra sugar) and then try to follow up with something like bread or other starch. When I was pregnant I just ate sweets and could manage a 100g packet of sweets without getting my sugars above 3.0 - and that was eating them when they were around 1.7 to start with. I usually had to have a can of fruit juice also and then the usual lower GI food as well.

After a hypo I usually felt extremely cold and had to have a warm bath to warm up - no amount of extra clothes or blankets or even the warm fan they used to use at the hospital would help. I was also always very tired.

It varied greatly how long I was low for - sometimes I would be fine within a half hour of realising and there was the time I went low at 21:00 and only was fine a while after getting home from a trip to the hospital after 02:00am - I had come round in the hospital after being comatose.

 

[vintage67]

Type 2 on a lot of insulin here...have had quite a few hypo episodes this pregnancy. I have found I have to go to bed at night a bit high or will hype during the night. My last one was a 41 (2.3 for UK?) and I've several in that range. I drink one of my son's juice boxes usually, like the other poster, all natural juice no added sugar. If we have bananas, I eat one of those.

Always leaves me exhausted and with a headache, and if I'm not really careful, sets off a roller coaster ride of numbers.

 

[hawalkden]

Thanks

Mine are:

symptoms

all of a sudden if stand up I feel really dizzy and just blah; shaking and typing/writing/texting; sudden gush of sweating on the back of my neck. If I can feel a hypo this was when I was working and been busy all day at around 3.30 I'd test my blood it they'd be at 3.1 >. when I was diagnosed with Diabetes a 'hypo' would have been 7-8! because my body was use to the 21s being my good place for my sugars. The lowest I've able to deal with was 2.1. But I had to have the day off work and just sleep because I just didn't have the energy at all and my bloods throughout the day stayed at 3.1-4.1! Bad place to be!

treatment

if hypo tabs are to hand 4 to 5 depending if its a night; I'm out and about or food is close by. Followed by a packet of crisps and a small carton of juice/drink e.g. ribena. I get the hypo monster too ! Usually when I've been out and about and the energy isn't there I just pig out. Then when next meal time is there I'm at 20! Oooops! They are one offs and I fee good for them after !

length

If I know that I'm going into a hypo it's about 20 minutes before my bloods are above 8 again. Which I feel safe at but if it's an out the blue or bedtime hypo I feel low for most of the day and next morning.

I've had to use the glycogen pen twice. Once when I was diagnosed and my dad gave it to me and again when I was about 19 weeks pregnant and I was at work; my bloods just weren't moving so I gave myself the pen and had cereal before being sent home!

I passionately hate hypos when I'm tired etc or in the middle of the night! OH kinda understands them after being on the DAFNE 'Hypo session' and knows about the glycogen pen but when I'm sat there being a little spaced out or start shaking he stresses at me to get food etc. only time he's gone and got food/drink for me was when I was at the 2.1 in the morning and just couldn't make it out of bed he was close to phoning for the ambulance to come out for me but I came round enough but just drained.

It's odd how people are different to how their bodies react to them. My dads Type One to and when he has hypos which are rare he gets very very angry and stresses/lashes out and he has them usually when we're out. So in the middle of the food shop my mum would ask if he's okay and he screamed at her. But you could see in his face, it was pale, sweating, leaning on the trolley because he was going weak. He finally had some pick and mix then a sandwich before carrying on with the shopping. Another time was he drove home from work which was about an hours away at the job he was doing on the motorway middle of winter and when he got home he didn't have a clue where he was. He though he was still in the cabin signing out of work! That's a scary thought though thinking he'd drove home not knowing where he was etc..

Oh after a hypo I'm FREEZING after stripping due to the sweat! And I feel really tired and just drained so usually most of the time I have an early night.

 

[gea]

Hi Gea

I was pre-diabetic, or what they call impaired glucose tolerance before this pregnancy.
I a on insulin in this pregnancy. While its true high doses of insulin does cause weight gain, there's only two choices. Control my Blood sugar or control my weight gain. I try and balance the two.
Do you know what your numbers were when they diagnosed you as borderline diabetic? What test did they do and what were the test results?

Thank you and congrats on the pregnancy!

My numbers have been a little all over the place... from the 5's to the 20's... sometimes all normal (they say) and sometimes naggingly high... They have done the prick in the finger test, normal bloodtest and the glucosedrink and test after a few hrs test... I have been a little bad the last few months to follow up on it all.... but they didn't make a plan to follow up either so far. I guess they will when I get a BFP!

I hope to lose a little more weight before pregnancy - now I got the AF :S But I am quite sure that I will still need insulin during a pregnancy....

How do you balance the insulin and weightgain? Any tips?

 

[shellshocked]

Hmmmm... back from the hospital. hba1c 6.1!! My response was "thats excellent" The doc said "Now to maintain this after pregnancy" and I just had a hysterical laughing fit..... I didn't say a thing. Nurse just smiled. ( I then felt a little sad and dissapointed in myself for being so rubbish for so many years.... though now I am so FAT - not just bump but proper fat from trying to sort out sugars....if I wasn't pregnant they'd be going on and on about that!! Can we diabetics ever win?) LO doing well. Measuring spot on for dates. Was told today I may well be left to go full term.... really?? depedning on bloodpressure a little silver lining there.... also got another pic And we are team "blue"!! I saw straight away as he was flashing his willy at me!!

Anyway just wanted to feel sorry for myself as my eyes are going wonky despite all my hard work sometimes diabetes is just a pain in the bl**dy ar*e.

Hope you ladies are all well with lovely bumps!!

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