GD question - how to test for it at home?

I want to add something to this discussion that no one EVER mentioned to
me despite my two GD pregnancies! If I had know about this I could have
been spared many years of significant misery.

If you develop GD during a pregnancy and were normal weight before the
pregnancy started, there is a very high probability that you may have a
genetic form of diabetes which many doctors don't know about. It's called
MODY. It often only shows up during a pregnancy, though GTT testing before
the pregnancy would have shown abnormal post-meal values had it been done.

This genetic diabetes causes beta cells from birth to have difficulty
secreting insulin in response to incoming glucose. This causes high post-
meal blood sugars, though fasting blood sugars are usually normal. With
the stress of the baby on the system, the beta cells lose their ability to
cope completely. This may cause huge weight gain during pregnancy that
which makes doctors think you have Type 2, but unlike the case with Type
2, the weight usually comes right off after the baby is born.

Most importantly, people with this condition are NOT insulin resistant,
and don't have the markers for "metabolic syndrome" that suggest a type 2
diagnosis. It is NOT type 2 diabetes, but something else, and if you have
it your kids have a 1 in 2 chance of having it too. My daughter has
inherited mine.

Things to remember: with milder cases of MODY the fasting blood sugar may
be normal and the A1c only mildly impaired--high 5% or low 6%, which many
doctors will ignore. But testing after meals will show very high blood
sugars, often in the diabetic range, and the person may have urinary tract
and yeast infections that won't clear up. They may also feel like crap
after eating any high carbohydrate meal or fall asleep after eating a lot
of carbs.

If you fit this pattern, insist on a glucose tolerance test after you are
done nursing your baby, and if you aren't seeing normal numbers, find a
doctor who understands the issue and will work with you for better
control.

There's more on MODY at http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14047009.php

eek, were you deliberately describing me and my mum? it sounds very much
like us, though neither of us has ever showed up with any abnormal results,
hmm actually just remembered that my mum did have some, but I don't know
what came of it, I might have to quiz her some more. I did a glucose
challenge in my first pregnancy, where the blood draw wasn't until 1hr
15mins after I'd had the drink and passed fine, declined it in my 2nd
pregnancy. I do sometimes wonder if I may have had some abnormal results,
had I done the test in my 2nd pregnancy as the baby was very fat, not
officially macrosomic, but not far off and 3lb bigger than my previous baby.
One reason why it may not have even showed up in pregnancy is that having
been on the lower side for BMI each time I fell pregnant and then for some
reason not gaining much weight in pregnancy, my BMI would still only be 25
at term.

I think I'm going to have to read up on this.

Anne

Anne Rogers wrote:
eek, were you deliberately describing me and my mum? it sounds very much
like us, though neither of us has ever showed up with any abnormal results,
hmm actually just remembered that my mum did have some, but I don't know
what came of it, I might have to quiz her some more. I did a glucose
challenge in my first pregnancy, where the blood draw wasn't until 1hr
15mins after I'd had the drink and passed fine, declined it in my 2nd
pregnancy. I do sometimes wonder if I may have had some abnormal results,
had I done the test in my 2nd pregnancy as the baby was very fat, not
officially macrosomic, but not far off and 3lb bigger than my previous baby.

Anne,

I don't think this is anything you need worry about. If you'd had
problems, your babies would have been 9 lbs or more. And you would have
gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy, because that is what
happens when you have very high blood sugars. I gained 50 lbs in each
pregnancy, starting out at less than 120 lbs.


--Jenny

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes Diabetes Info

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood
Sugar Under Control

I don't think this is anything you need worry about. If you'd had
problems, your babies would have been 9 lbs or more. And you would have
gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy, because that is what happens
when you have very high blood sugars. I gained 50 lbs in each pregnancy,
starting out at less than 120 lbs.

well, my 2nd baby was 8lb8oz, but born at 39+3, had she been a more normal
41 weeks she'd have been 9lb+.

My first was an IUGR baby, but he was also heading to be big before stopping
growing, it meant for us, that though he was IUGR he wasn't low birth
weight.

I gained less than 20lb both pregnancies, the thing that put up the flag was
the eating carbs thing that flagged it up, I do not respond well to some
carbs so don't end up eating them, I'd rather not feel like that. Both my
mum and I have trouble with yeast and urine infections. I'd be definitely
interested to do my blood sugar after a meal, but just at the mo I can't
think of anyone who would have a machine I could run the test on.

Anne

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
I don't think this is anything you need worry about. If you'd had
problems, your babies would have been 9 lbs or more. And you would have
gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy, because that is what happens
when you have very high blood sugars. I gained 50 lbs in each pregnancy,
starting out at less than 120 lbs.

well, my 2nd baby was 8lb8oz, but born at 39+3, had she been a more normal
41 weeks she'd have been 9lb+.

My first was an IUGR baby, but he was also heading to be big before
stopping growing, it meant for us, that though he was IUGR he wasn't low
birth weight.


I heard a brief mention about the biggest recorded baby (in Guiness) --
something like *22* pounds, in Italy, in the 1950's.
bj

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
I'd be definitely interested to do my blood sugar after a meal, but just
at the mo I can't think of anyone who would have a machine I could run the
test on.

Lloyds chemists do them for free. I think some of the other ones do them
too. Their instructions are to do a fasting test, but you don't need to tell
them about the bowl of cereal or whatever you had an hour before.

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.3/6 T2 DX 05/2004
No Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
95/72/72Kg

Lloyds chemists do them for free. I think some of the other ones do them
too. Their instructions are to do a fasting test, but you don't need to
tell them about the bowl of cereal or whatever you had an hour before.

don't they only do them if you are over a certain age? even my mum hasn't
been able to get a test anywhere they are doing them free!

Anne

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
Lloyds chemists do them for free. I think some of the other ones do them
too. Their instructions are to do a fasting test, but you don't need to
tell them about the bowl of cereal or whatever you had an hour before.

don't they only do them if you are over a certain age? even my mum hasn't
been able to get a test anywhere they are doing them free!

No - they should be prepared to test anyone who walks in the door and asks
for one! (I'm sure of this, my sister works in her local Lloyds, and has had
the training.) I also used it when I'd come out without my meter when we
were on holiday in Somerset; no questions asked, and I'm 45.

Nicky.

--
A1c 10.5/5.3/6 T2 DX 05/2004
No Metformin, 100ug Thyroxine
95/72/72Kg

On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 21:13:35 +0100, "Nicky"
wrote:


"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
Lloyds chemists do them for free. I think some of the other ones do them
too. Their instructions are to do a fasting test, but you don't need to
tell them about the bowl of cereal or whatever you had an hour before.

don't they only do them if you are over a certain age? even my mum hasn't
been able to get a test anywhere they are doing them free!

No - they should be prepared to test anyone who walks in the door and asks
for one! (I'm sure of this, my sister works in her local Lloyds, and has had
the training.) I also used it when I'd come out without my meter when we
were on holiday in Somerset; no questions asked, and I'm 45.

AFAIK other pharmacies also now offer OTC or walk-in tests for BG and
a few other things such as blood pressure.

(They also do helpful stuff like talk you through your prescriptions,
for those with old-fashioned GPs like one of mine who always handed
over the prescriptions folded over and glared if I tried to read it or
ask questions about the drug or its side effects.)

I've also seen a mobile lab in the car park where we used to live
offering various tests for a fee - but a small one - probably a loss
leader for BUPA.