Gestational Diabetes Screening & misc.

I mentioned that my glucose levels were above the normal range for the glucose challenge test during week 26. Ugh. Not ugh because the glucose beverage was nausea-inducing or too cloyingly sweet or even that it made me dizzy and like I was going to crawl out of my skin for an hour. Ugh because I messed up. The flavored yogurt, banana, and granola (a LOT of granola) parfait I chowed down 1/2 hr before the test was a dumb idea and I didn't have enough forethought to think of the consequences of not passing this typical screening test. I also took my time drinking the beverage, not thinking at all about the fact that it would defeat the purpose of the test. Whoops.

The weekend was spent reading and consuming all things information regarding gestational diabetes. To say I was panicking would be a....ok, fine, accurate. Rationality out the window. on a side note: jamie must be having so much fun trying to constantly talk me off the ledge through all of these tests! 

On day one of week 27 (tuesday), having fasted since 7pm the night before, I went into the lab at 8am and they drew blood to measure my fasting blood glucose level. Luckily, unlike the test for last week, they also did a finger prick test with a glucometer and were able to give me a reading (normal) to then decide to move forward with the test. 

I downed this in 3 seconds:

chug, chug, chug

Then went into the lobby to hang out for an hour. Yay for building-wide wifi & the stack of magazines that Sarah always saves for me.

1. Went in for the one hour blood draw and convinced the phlebotomist to give me a non-protocol glucometer reading. Eep....high. Not high enough to exceed the normal range, but only a few points off. From our experience working in diabetes, I know that that there can be a 20% variance between a finger prick reading vs what can be considered "more accurate" with lab work. Which means that I could have fallen well above the normal range. UGH. Back to the lobby for another hour.
2. Second hour draw and luckily got the same phlebotomist. She literally rolled her eyes when I pointed at the glucometer, but gave in and the reading was back to a more normal range. Phew. She mentioned that she was going to be on her lunch break and from what she thought, I wouldn't be able to get an immediate reading out of any of her other co-workers. Dammit!
3. Three hour draw and she stayed! She postponed her lunch break to give me another reading and it came back normal. 

So then the what-seemed-like-a long wait to get the official results and this email came through:

Hi Leslie - 

Good news! You passed your 3 hour glucose tolerance test. All 4 levels were within normal limits. 

Phew.

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Was it iron levels in spinach that gave Popeye super-human strength?

In blood work related news, they told me last week that I've developed anemia (did y'all get this?) and I'll be popping iron pills for the rest of this pregnancy. So far, no side effects from taking the supplements, but those who commented on my unusual desire for red meat and association with anemia - Good Call. 

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I'm heading down to southern california today! Somehow it's already the weekend of the baby shower that Kim and Amy are throwing for us/me* and I'm so excited to see family, friends, and catch up with everyone. As always, I'll probably be thrown off to have that much attention so expect that I'll be subconsciously going out of my way to pass it onto others somehow. I'm cool like that. 

*I don't know what to do with the pronoun anymore. I'm pregnant? We're expecting? We're due at the end of July? Or I'm due at the end of July? My baby shower? Our baby shower? The baby and my shower? So awkward.