misspriss.org

I finally talked to the dietitian. She studied my food and blood sugar numbers, and gave me some recommendations to help with lunch. When I have a sandwich, things tend to climb up. So we’re going to go back to mustard instead of mayo and shoot for one piece of bread instead of two. And we’ll see how it goes.

But the main concern has been my morning numbers. There’s not a whole lot you can do about morning numbers. You’re fasting while you’re asleep, so you can’t adjust for it. But what I have been trying is adjusting my night snack, the one just before I go to bed. And it seems to be working. So, as long as my morning numbers come in for the next week under target, I may be able to avoid medication.

And I am relieved, to say the least. This has been weighing quite heavily on my mind, to the point it’s been hard to concentrate on little else. So that call was a break through point for me. As long as I stick to my diet, I may just be okay. And that means that Wee One will be more likely to be okay—the most important part of all of this. I think I have found my light at the end of the tunnel. Finally.

Seven weeks (or so) to go.

gdm, gestational diabetes, pregnancy

When I was a kid, our family vacations consisted of driving from Missouri to Texas. El Paso, Texas. You might as well call it Hell Paso, because we always went during the summer. We drove for 18 hours, straight through. But we were young, and it wasn’t as much torture for us as it probably was for my parents.

We had an old Ford Econoline van. Dad would remove the 2 of the 3 back bench seats and slide in a wooden platform that he custom-built for the van. Underneath would go our luggage and on top, a mattress. When someone was tired, it was easy to crawl in the back and take a nap. We played back there a lot, too. It was roomy, and less confining than sitting up straight in a seat.

When we got to El Paso, we’d drive straight to my grandparents’ house. I’d press my nose to the glass, watching for that first glimpse of the genie mailbox and gold Lincoln Town Car sitting out front. Yes, my grandfather had a gold Town Car. And a mailbox shaped like a genie. The thought of them still makes me smile. I can’t say the same for the neighbors—I doubt they liked it as much as I did.

My grandfather was a jovial man. He had a big, booming laugh that could take over a room. My grandmother was a bit more serious. Neither of them had the same sense of humor as my father, though. It made for some interesting times when they just didn’t get his jokes. My dad always kids us. Everyone, really. But they took him a little too seriously.

As we got older, we took a few other vacations that didn’t involve going to see family. But for many years, my parents forewent a “real” vacation so our grandparents could see us. And that’s what my husband and I have done for the last several years. Instead of going sightseeing or someplace exotic, we go to see my parents. And with Wee One coming soon, that time with family will become even more precious. So our future vacations are planned for us. We’ll go home to see my mom & dad, so our son will get to spend time with his grandparents.

And yes, it will be a road trip, just like those when I was a kid. But we won’t be using a Ford Econoline van. Man, those were the days.

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Sorry for the silence. I’ve been so busy playing catch up after being out of commission for almost a week with that migraine. But it’s getting better. I’ve almost resigned myself to needing medication for the gdm (diabetes) at this point. I haven’t given up trying to work on my diet, but things are still fluctuating wildly. (At least, that’s the way it seems to me.) I still have to talk with the dietitians to see if there’s more we can do. Maybe I need even more exercise. Maybe none of that will help.

Anyway, if you’d like a diversion, go check out my posts at askpatty.com. One came out yesterday, and another comes out tomorrow. I’ll link it once it’s up.

Have a Baby, Win a Car?

Are Toxins Lurking in Your Car Interior?

I’m really enjoying this gig and the type of writing I’m doing. It’s fun to write informative stuff that still allows me to have an opinion. I look forward to doing more writing like that. I didn’t realize how much fun it would be. I knew it would be a good fit, only I didn’t realize how much. I haven’t been enjoying a lot recently, so it’s a nice diversion.

I’m still going through a lot of frustration with all of this. I need to work through it. However, I don’t think I need to burden you with my whining. I have no idea how to make it funny right now. It’s too shiny and new to have any perspective on it.

So instead, I leave you with a belly shot. I’m right around 32 weeks, so there’s about 8 weeks to go. Woo!

I’m trying to figure out this eating and blood sugar thing. Part of it is portions, part of it is more exercise, part of it is food combinations. I still haven’t figured it out yet. My numbers are all over the place. I’ll have help in figuring that out, but this is just my first week of actually tracking all this stuff.

And last night, after the rain, my allergies started acting up again. I finally got rid of the migraine and now my energy is sapped by my sinuses. I would really like to get a break sometime soon. Thank you.

gdm, gestational diabetes, pregnancy

I have had a migraine since Tuesday morning. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get rid of it. Tylenol is about the only approved med and it didn’t even put a dent in it.

I left work early on Tuesday and spent a miserable night not sleeping much at all. I stayed home from work on Wednesday, but had to drag myself to a class anyway. I really didn’t want to, but it was the gdm (gestational diabetes) class to go over how to eat and how to check my blood sugar. I couldn’t miss it. I called my doctor’s office on the way home, begging to speak with a nurse. No one called. I cried off and on from the pain. Unfortunately, crying makes things worse, but I couldn’t stop it.

Almost five hours later, I called the doctor again because I never received a call. Finally, I spoke with a nurse about my symptoms. I just wanted to know what I could take that would be safe for the baby. I’ve never had such a bad migraine in my life. After a bit of back & forth, the nurse and a midwife recommended I go into labor & delivery (L&D).

I didn’t really want to go, but I was so desperate for relief that we went. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and took samples for the lab. I was there for about four hours or so. Once they ruled out preeclampsia and pregnancy induced hypertension, they gave me some migraine medicine. Only it didn’t even touch the pain. So they one-upped it.

First, they gave me an IV to increase my fluids a bit. Then, they gave me a a couple other meds that I’m not sure of. One was for nausea and the other was for the pain. I don’t know what it was, but it burned a little as it went in. I felt it wash over my body. It was the weirdest thing. And it knocked me for a loop, too. I was a little out of it, but so relieved not to be in pain. I napped a little and eventually they let me go home. Unfortunately the headache is back a little bit today, but not as severe.

The labs came back just fine and the baby wasn’t under any stress. But they just wanted to rule out the worst case.

I will say, it’s no fun to be in a room with someone else when you have a migraine. Some of those nurses had high-pitched voices that just grated on me. John actually had to step out and ask them nicely to be a little quieter.

This post could be more coherent, but I’m still fighting a bit of the headache. Here’s a pic of me from last night. Pathetic, huh?

gdm, gestational diabetes, pregnancy, migraine

You know how as soon as you can’t have a drink of water, you want one? That’s what I’m going through right now. I’m trying hard to stick to the menu I was given (but I still haven’t gone to the class so get the blood sugar monitor – that’s coming up).

I’ll say it: it sucks. And it’s tough. I feel like I’m constantly eating. That’s what happens when you need to eat every 2-3 hours. Additionally, I have to closely watch my food combinations. No carbs or fruits without protein. Watch out for too much dairy. Avoid all sugars. It’s not easy. It took a few days before I realized that I shouldn’t be eating honey mustard dressing on my salad. And that I must have protein with EVERY meal (not a lot, just a small portion).

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Sometimes, you do something for free for a long time. And sometimes, all it takes to get paid is to ask.

If only it were always that easy.

On days like this, I really don’t know what to say. Sept. 10 & 11 both hold sad memories for me, and I mostly prefer not to relive them. Yet I feel like I should say something today.

I still remember 2001. I can still feel my disbelief and shock. I still feel nauseous when I think about the people jumping out of the towers. There was a slideshow—I don’t know if it’s still around—that showed picture after picture of those poor souls, desperate to escape. I watched it more than once, crying the entire time. I still can’t listen to Enya’s Only Time without a feeling of sadness washing over me.

I still remember. And I wonder how we went from wanting revenge on those who did this to us, to chasing WMDs in Iraq. How did we get here? And why are we here? And where will we go from here? My heart still aches for those who lost family in New York, D.C., and Pennsylvania. I still remember, even if I wasn’t near any of those places. I hope you remember, too.

Well, where do I begin? I went in for my monthly appointment today. New doctor – not sure what I think about her. She was a little too brusque and dismissive for my taste, even though the receptionist said I’d love her. I believe I’d like my money back now. My first impression was so strong that I just may go in Monday and change all of my appointments with her. She dropped a bomb on me, didn’t explain anything to me even when I started crying, and pushed me out the door. I’d rather go to the midwife than go to her. I also got poked for my TB test, after getting poked four times yesterday. Can you tell this isn’t a good day for me?

I have gestational diabetes. Every time I type or say that I start to cry. I’ve been reading up on it at the American Diabetes Association and the Mayo Clinic. And I’m absolutely terrified. The doctor didn’t tell me anything, she just gave me a number to call. Fat lot of good that does me on a Friday afternoon at 4pm. I know it’s not the end of the world, and hopefully it can be controlled with diet and exercise. But I can’t help but wonder if the way I’ve been eating has contributed or if I was just predisposed (both of my grandparents had Type II diabetes).

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