# Gestational diabetes and struggling



## purplesheep (May 21, 2016)

I have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have the monitor to check my levels 4 times a day the first week I cut back on portion size and cut out sugary drinks and only had a rocky bar with my lunch my levels were all over. When I went back to see the consultant I explained what I had been doing but she seems very rude and made out I'm not doing enough. 

I have an under-active thyroid so due to that medication I have to wait an hour before I can eat on a morning which means I have to eat my breakfast at work, I have a small pot of porridge as we do not have the facilities for anything else. I also take my lunch to work which is just a pack up lunch as I don't get long to eat and work and eat anyway, also again lack of facilities to cook anything. She told me that I needed to make more of an effort at work and should also exercise more, I have a cervical stitch in place and have been told that I can't stand or walk for long periods of time max being 4 hours for the total day. She put me on metformin which I hoped would help but so far doesn't seem to be helping and I have a week to get my levels under control or she is putting me on insulin which I do not want. 

I have admitted that I'm not the healthiest person in the world but my weight isn't that bad and I do my best. I force myself to eat more veg/salad (I throw up at the textures so it's a real challenge) I'm eating what I can that they suggested but I'm so hungry to the point that I start to feel sick. I'm on medication for my thyroid and weekly progestrone injections which one midwife told me will affect my glucose levels anyway. I feel as if I'm trying for nothing and that the consultant just needs to cut me some slack because I'm doing my best at juggling my son, my pregnancy, work and everything else in normal life. I just feel like shoving a cake in my mouth and being happy as I'm not enjoying this pregnancy one bit and can not wait to get this baby out!!!


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## grovesy (May 21, 2016)

Welcome.
I take the consultant you are talking about it your Diabetic one and not your Obstetrician, so they most probably don't understand the implications of the cervical stitch. It sounds like your pregnancy is not straightforward even without the Gestational Diabetes.
Porridge despite having a healthy reputation, doesn't help blood sugars. Some of us find it sends our blood sugars up, a few are okay with it. Many of us find reducing Carbohydrate intake can help to reduce blood sugars. You have to find what works for you. 
Some people find they are much better on Insulin.


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## bilbie (May 21, 2016)

I used a vitimiser with my father who had a texture problem and could involuntarily dry heave.

no one chooses GD and you would be doing as good as you can or know what to do. So don't take anything as a criticism

you may feel better on a slightly reduced carb diet, I'd talk to your Dr about 130-150g/day carbs or above.. with a bit more proteins/fats to add back the lost energy.


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## stephknits (May 21, 2016)

Pregnancy can be a difficult time with food, I remember finding some textures difficult.  Is there anything low/no carb that you would fancy?  How about cooked chicken, ham, eggs? Can you change pasta for courgetti or rice for Cauli rice and still have you favourite sauces?   If you like dark chocolate and fancy a treat, could you try 85 or 90 percent chocolate - only two or 3 grams of carbs a piece.  Chocolate eclairs are usually only about 10 grams of carbs if you like those.  I seem to remember snacking little and often helped.  
Best of luck


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## trophywench (May 21, 2016)

It's the fresh cream cake eclairs Steph is talking about here, not the 'toffee' ones LOL

You get the benefit of the fat in the cream from them, without any noticeable effect on your BG from it, only from the choux pastry which in comparison to any other cake made with normal wheat flour is small, but 'fat' may not be the best thing if you are a tad overweight to begin with.

Firstly I was told half an hour after the thyroxine not one hour and was also later told it was only 'dairy' you needed to avoid within that anyway!  I couldn't say which is actually right, though TBH.

So I take them first off immediately after the loo visit, then have my shower/wash, then get dressed and sort myself out - and THEN have my first cuppa and my brekky and the rest of what I have to take.

I was going to suggest more protein, too - you do stay 'fuller' for a lot longer than with any carbs really.  I happen to really like Ryvitas as it happens, the Sesame seed ones are 5g carbs each and if you butter a couple you could have cheese, ham, chicken tikka masala mixed with mayo, egg mayo, tuna (with or without mayo) - whatever 'sandwich' type filling you want on em - if it's a filling that could send the crispbread soggy then pack it in a Tupperware style tub, eat it with a spoon separately bit and bite about, or pile it on the Ryvita as you eat it.

Yoghurt is always an easy thing to eat on the go too - shedloads of different ones about these days, keep trying them till you find one you like if it isn't a staple item in your house.  Full fat and 'natural' are the best - I adore proper old fashioned Greek yog, the sheeps milk one, like feta cheese could be a little sharp tasting but the cows milk 'Total' brand one is also lovely.  You can add your own fruit to it if you want - berries are the lowest carb fruits - and  blueberries are 'superfoods' and really really good for us generally, diabetic or not!

Lastly don't feel like insulin is a threat - it really really isn't you know - it literally IS a life-saver and when you need it - you NEED it more than oxygen! - and injecting it is a lot easier than you could possibly imagine. 

I can't promise we can make your pregnancy easier cos you do obviously have probs carrying etc anyway from what you've said plus I should complain about the D consultant if I were you and also say to your Obs that you don't think he knows enough about pregnancy probs other than D to be a proper help - or an encouragement! - to people in your position.


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## purplesheep (May 22, 2016)

Thank you for your replies. I have looked at a lot of recipes and alternatives but I just find it so hard to eat some of the stuff I've had a battle with food ever since I was a child and find a lot of things hard to eat. I have always been a good weight and it's only after my having my son that it was really difficult to lose the weight which is when I changed my diet completely to a healthier option, however we do eat out once or twice a month. With my thyroid meds my consultant (thyroid one) told me an hour after taking my meds that I could eat it has been this way since I began them about 4 years ago but it fits in with my lifestyle. This whole carbs thing when the dietician was speaking to me about and looked at the types of foods I eat said that it wasn't that bad for example 
morning: I would have normally have nothing but now I have to I have a porridge pot at work and a coffee
Lunch: chicken and bacon wrap or ham sandwich, boiled egg, dairylea dunker (tubes not bread stick), flavoured water and a rocky bar
Dinner: Lasagne salad and chips, Spaghetti, chicken breast with garlic soft cheese wrapped in bacon salad and new potatoes, pasta bake
Snacks: Banana or yoghurt
I'm hungry a lot and reducing portion size isn't helping I've cut so much out of my diet for this baby and feel like it's still not good enough. 
My levels on a morning before eating etc are normally around 6-7.5 and after eating at any time of the day can vary from 7-13 even if I eat the same breakfast and lunch every day my levels are completely different. 

My worry about insulin is that I know for a fact I will not be able to inject myself and the very thought of having to inject myself terrifies me, and this will be something I will most likely have to do at work. The consultant knows about my other problems as they all speak to each other but I feel like she is adamant that I just don't want to change anything, I have stopped doing so much already and have so many restrictions in place I just wish she would cut me some slack which I will be saying to her on Wednesday if she has the same attitude with me. 

Once again thank you all I will take on board what has been said and see if some more tweaking will work.


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## Robin (May 22, 2016)

Have you been shown an insulin pen and needle? If not, confront your fears and ask to see one, I think you'll be surprised. One with a 4mm needle is tiny, and if you are already testing your blood sugars with a finger prick test, you'll find an insulin injection is easier, and hurts less ( it doesn't hurt at all, in fact) than pricking your finger. You can get covers, as well, so you don't have to see the needle.
Also, it's unlikely you'd be started off on a full three times a day every meal routine, they might start you with a once a day background insulin, so you wouldn't have to face doing it at work, at least until you'd got used to it at other times of day.


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## stephknits (May 22, 2016)

If you are hungry a lot,  I agree, cutting portion size isn't going to help you.  Perhaps you could try adding some snacks in like a full fat Greek yogurt or a hard boiled egg in between meals.  Wraps are surprisingly high in carbs.  There are some great substitutes you can try, for example Burgen bread or lidl protein rolls so that you can still have your sandwich.  
I can understand not wanting to inject yourself, I had a diabetic cat before diagnosis and a couldn't bring myself to inject her, my husband had to do it.  Then I was diagnosed and it is amazing how quickly you can get used to doing something.  I certainly would never have thought I could have done it.


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## Nicola16 (May 22, 2016)

Welcome to the forum firstly! I'm fairly new to this forum as well and also have GD (maybe type 2 that I didn't know about but only time will tell!) so I can empathise with how you feel.

It's a real shock and a lot to get your head around when you first get told but believe me it gets easier. As pregnant ladies we have to learn about diabetes very quickly and it can be a lot to take in on top of dealing with the other lovely effects of pregnancy hormones all whilst trying to do the best by our little bundles. 

My treatment is a careful diet, 2000mg Metformin and insulin before every main meal and a long acting at bed. Let me say I was nervous about having insulin but it really isn't that bad injecting, the testing is more painful!!! 

Although everyone is different I have found a few things helpful so thought I'd share:

keeping a detailed food diary  (and I mean detailed...I note the time I ate, what I ate, amount of carbs per meal and snacks). It really helped me, not only to see what made my BG better or worse but to show the doctors and nurses in case I couldn't understand why I'd had a low or high. It also has meant that I can eat more confidently when out.

Keeping my portion sizes the same overall but making some changes to the balance on the plate I.e. More veg or salad than potatoes. I use my scales to weigh out carbs because believe me it's so easy to put that extra bit on your plate. Especially if you are like me and love love love food!!!!

You may find your morning reading are the hardest to control as your hormones, along with other factors, are going wild in the morning. I would avoid porridge as others have said. I ended up (on advice from DSN) having to split my breakfast so I test my BG, take tablets and insulin then have 1 piece of toast, wait an hour, retest, then eat the other piece of toast. You could fake toast to work too albeit cold but it's still nice . I wouldn't do this without speaking to your nurse but it might be worth a mention.

I have found Tescos sunflower and pumpkin bread which is lower in carbs than granary or whole meal bread helpful too. It really does toast nice, more like white bread than brown!!!

If you do have to have insulin, don't worry it really isn't as bad as you think and ultimately I just focus on thi being for my babies health first and then mine. It's amazing how that gets you through.

Keep coming on the forum as sometimes you just need to see what others go through too, it really does help. X


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