GST Checking

GST stands for 'glucose strip test' (I think - or so I've been told). At the hospital we do it on people who are diabetic... basically punching a hole in their fingers to squeeze a drop of blood onto a test strip, and then inserting that strip into a machine to figure out what their blood glucose level is and whether they need insulin or not.

Think of insulin as a key that 'unlocks' the body's cells to let in the sugar. It is supposed to - when working properly - quickly liquidate the blood of excess sugars after each meal so that the cells get their energy, and the blood and blood vessels don't get overloaded and 'thick'. In a diabetic, their insulin is either: a) not effective, or b) not available in high-enough quantities. So their diets and "sugars" are monitored - some types of diabetes have to give themselves insulin on a daily basis to keep the process drumming-along... and that is the Cole's-Notes anatomy lesson for today. :)

At 27 weeks I had to go for the dreaded glucose tolerance test: drink the orange crush (tastes the same), sit for an hour, and then get my blood drawn to see what it was. Long story short: I didn't exactly pass with flying colors - I was "borderline" high... so my doctor wanted another test.

So then I had to go for the full deal: fast for 12 hours (a feat for this pregnant lady!), get blood drawn, drink a bigger orange crush, wait an hour, get more blood drawn, wait another hour and then get blood drawn again. That is right: 3 blood draws. Ick.

When I saw my doctor at work (checking other patients) I told him to phone me there with the results because I wasn't sure they would tell Kurt on the phone... so about 3 in the afternoon, he called with the news: I'm not diabetic (phew!), but I do have insulin "issues" (drat!). My fasting sugars were great - right where they were supposed to be - but my one hour test had a result of 10.9 - much too high! My third test was also higher than it was supposed to be... so I was referred to a diabetes educator on Thursday-last.

I not only have to count carbohydrates, but I get to (brace yourself) check my blood sugars 4 times per day. Once first thing waking, and after each meal. My body (and the pregnancy hormones contained therein) is messing around with my insulin... rendering it less effective than it is supposed to be - especially at certain times of the day. Carbs are the big guns - the sugar-makers... and the idea is to give my insulin less to handle at a time in order to make sure that I'm not constantly 'high'. I'm getting a pretty good idea of what foods affect my sugars more than others - fruit is a killer... I can have have it but in smaller amounts spaced throughout the day. I also found out this weekend that carrot cake with icing takes a while for my insulin to get out of the system... go figure. (Heh.) I don't have to limit protein or veggies... but milk is also restricted - which is probably the hardest thing for me... but if I plan, I can have a cup with every meal.

"And what", you may ask, "is the big deal if your sugars are constantly high?" I'll make a gigantic baby. Yikes - sugar controlling is cool with me!

They (the diabetes education people) gave me a nifty little kit that contained everything (except the strips I need - picked those up for a tiny 82 dollars at Wal-Mart... sigh) including a cute-little photo album and baby-keepsake box. Small consolation for daily self-mutilation... but it is a nice little perk.

These are not the greatest pictures... but you'll get an idea of the process and see the equipment.
This is the kit - I added the little wet-wipes on the side... anyone who knows me knows how I feel about wet-wipes! :) That is just in case I'm somewhere I can't wash my hands before the poke. The expensive test-strips are in the container on the top right hand side, the meter is on the bottom right and the 'poker-of-doom' is in the middle. So harmless looking for an instrument of torture...
Arrrrghhhh! I've done it - poked myself enough to draw blood. After only 4 days of this, my fingers already look like they have track marks. You can see one of the strips inserted in the bottom of the meter on the right... that white 'dot' at it's bottom connects with my blood and 'voila!' - my glucose-level is being monitored.
A pass! Praise God - sometimes (mainly in the mornings) it is super-high... but in the afternoon it seems to even out. (Which makes sense, because pregnancy hormones really peak in the morning.) By the way: a pass is anything under 7.8... so 6.6 is pretty good... now to repeat the process after supper.

Have I mentioned how hard it is to type with track-marked fingers? (chuckle)

All kidding aside - the poke isn't that bad, and I am thankful that I live in a place where I can have access to these tools... even the poker-of-doom. :-D