{"id":32825,"date":"2013-05-15T08:48:01","date_gmt":"2013-05-15T12:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32825"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:47:21","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:47:21","slug":"failing-the-oral-glucose-tolerance-test-bad-diabetes-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32825","title":{"rendered":"Failing the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test: (Bad) Diabetes Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

I lived in Jerusalem when I pregnant with my first son, and though my doctor wasn\u2019t concerned about gestational diabetes<\/a>, she sent me to do the oral glucose tolerance test<\/a> given to most pregnant women in the second trimester.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re young, thin, with no first-degree diabetic relatives,\u201d the doctor said.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 It\u2019s routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it might have been routine for the doctor, for me there was nothing routine about being pregnant, and extra-nothing routine about drinking 50 grams of sugar on a fasting stomach.\u00a0 I must have looked upset.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just like drinking cola,\u201d the doctor said. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe nurse will take your fasting blood sugar and then, one hour after you drink, she\u2019ll take blood again.\u201d<\/p>\n

I had a lot of questions at that time, but no one to ask. None of my friends had been pregnant yet, and there was basically nothing in the way of diabetes blogs, and I didn’t know a thing about gestational diabetes. \u00a0All I had a copy of \u201cWhat to Expect\u201d and the comfort of knowing that Jerusalem was a city where everyone gave you advice and shared their opinions whether or not you requested.\u00a0 And so it went \u2013 when I sat down in the lab, in a special room for pregnant women drinking glucose, everyone began to give me advice.\u00a0 I was the only woman there who was pregnant for the first time.\u00a0 Most of the other women in the room were religious \u2013 Jews and Muslims.\u00a0 They were covered head to toe, a few of them had small children with them, and many read from prayer books.\u00a0 And then there was me: long, free hair, and totally clueless.\u00a0\u00a0 A nurse whipped up a concoction of powered glucose and water.\u00a0 She handed it over to me and told me to drink it quickly.\u00a0 As I brought the cup to my lips I felt a wave of nausea.\u00a0 After one sip I gagged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I told the nurse.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I can drink this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody drinks it,\u201d she said and walked away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d said a women in thick black stockings despite the warm weather.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need lemons,\u201d another woman said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s better with lemons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo they have lemons here?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you bring lemons?\u201d several women said at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A few minutes later the nurse returned.\u00a0 \u201cWhy aren\u2019t you drinking?\u201d she asked.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re ruining the test. \u00a0Hurry!\u201d<\/p>\n

I took another sip and gagged again.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to the bathroom if you\u2019re sick,\u201d the woman in the stockings said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I took a deep breath and two gulps of glucose.\u00a0 I was about halfway done.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I felt intense nausea and when I stood to walk toward the bathroom I felt dizzy so I sat back down.\u00a0 I began to sweat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have brought lemons,\u201d someone said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It took me about 15 minutes of baby sips, but I managed to finish the cup of sugar.\u00a0 The nurse drew my blood and I went home, relieved to have the oral glucose tolerance test behind me.<\/p>\n

The next day my doctor called to say my blood glucose results were in, and they weren\u2019t good.\u00a0 I would have to do another test.\u00a0 This time I would do the 100 gram oral glucose tolerance test and the nurse would draw my blood four times: fasting, 60 minutes, 120 minutes, and 180 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Double the sugar.\u00a0 Triple the time in that room.\u00a0 I cried a bit and then I told Mike I needed to get some lemons.<\/p>\n

Mike took me to the lab for my three-hour oral glucose tolerance test and said he\u2019d stay with me until I finished drinking.\u00a0 I felt like a pro.\u00a0 I showed him where the glucose room was, but realized that he couldn\u2019t really sit there with me.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t strictly women-only, but it was.\u00a0 We\u2019d have to sit in the general waiting area.<\/p>\n

I held out my bag of lemons to the nurse, who was not impressed.\u00a0 \u201cHere you go,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t squeeze them,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat am I going to do with a bag of lemons?\u00a0 This isn\u2019t a restaurant.\u201d\u00a0 She handed me two cups, each one with 50 grams of sugar and water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I felt nauseated just from looking at the cups.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Mike said.\u00a0 \u201cJust drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

I drank, one little sip at a time.\u00a0 The nurse and Mike told me to hurry.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 I sweated.\u00a0 I cried a bit.\u00a0 But, finally, I finished both cups of glucose.\u00a0 I was proud and relieved.\u00a0\u00a0 And I\u2019d done it all without any lemons!\u00a0 Before I had a chance to revel in my glory, though, I was overwhelmed by intense nausea, as if I\u2019d just guzzled a bottle of tequila.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Mike asked.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t answer.\u00a0 I ran as fast as my big belly allowed, pushed my way into the restroom, and puked 100 grams of glucose into a toilet bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I came out teary and told the nurse what had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cJust come back tomorrow and do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I turned to walk away, thinking that this glucose test should be illegal and that there had to be a better way, a woman in a floor-length navy skirt who\u2019d overheard our conversation called me over with a word of advice.\u00a0 \u201cNext time bring some lemons,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This post is part of Diabetes Blog Week<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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