Gestational Diabetes Treatment Consult (or, Needle-phobic Me Being Taught to Use Needles By Someone Who's Never Done it Before)
Hi Everyone!
So I had my treatment consult for gestational diabetes this morning. It went pretty well. Here are the highlights:
They're hoping to manage this with just diet.
They said I'm already eating pretty well...what I need to change is to not eat certain foods before noon (fruit, yogurt, milk, cereal, juice), and to keep careful track of/carefully control carbohydrate intake. This seems a lot more manageable than trying to keep track of everything I eat, so happy about that. Also I need to eat smaller amounts a lot more frequently (6 small meals/day).
And then came the dreaded glusoce monitoring. I'm going to have to do it 4 times/day. Ugh. This part was kind of funny since usually a diabetes nurse teaches people how to do this, but the nurse was out today so the dietician said she'd try to help me learn, even though she'd never done it before. Are you serious? I am NOT the person for this to happen to, as I am TERRIFIED of needles.
So she (the dietitian) opens up a new meter and we spread out the instructions, wash our hands, and we decided she was going to do a fingerstick on me before I tried on myself. But she kept trying and trying (me virtually in tears...I am such a baby) and couldn't get any blood until she dialed up the needle to the deepest setting and then there STILL wasn't enough blood, and it HURT.
So then we decided I'd try on a different finger and try to do it myself...the needle is hidden, all you have to do is press a button and it sticks your finger...but I could not make myself do it.
So then we talked about alternatives, like is there any way I could numb my fingers so I wasn't so afraid of the pain? And then we started looking at the instructions again and it said you could also test on your forearm or palm, which I felt like I could do...there's something about my fingertips that psychologically I just wasn't doing well with.
So we ran my arm under hot water (the instructions said heat could help) and I pressed the button for the needle...yay! But there was barely any blood. So we dialed it up to the highest setting, and again, barely any blood. So then to my palm on the highest setting (deepest needle penetration) and this time yay! Enough blood to test!
But geeze, this should not have been this difficult. The good news is the dietitian was really nice and patient with me...I mean really, the drama...I'm sure 6-year-olds are more cool, calm and collected about this than I was.
So I feel pretty good about being able to test on my palm or forearm. Fingertip...no way. But any of you out there reading this knowing that you are going to have to do this...if I can do it, anyone can.
So that's the scoop. All in all, not too bad. I'm glad I didn't get myself too worked up about this.
I have an appointment next week with the actual diabetes nurse, to make sure I'm doing everything right...
Hope you all are having a great Thursday!
XOXO
10 PM and grrrrr...this blood glucose monitoring thing is NOT working very well. I tried testing after lunch and had to stick myself 5 times to get enough blood and have the meter up and running at the same time. My husband finally came in and coordinated and squoze my palm hard enough to get the drop of blood I needed.
And tonight after dinner, no way was there blood coming out of my palm (3 sticks, all with blood but not enough) so my husband did a fingerstick on me and that hurts, I don't care what anyone says. The fingerstick worked, though. But I'm not going to have my husband with me all the time to do this...I've got to figure out how to do it on my own.
Plus, the instruction booklet I was given does not seem to match the blood glucose meter I have. So frustrating. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but this is not getting off to a good start...