28 Weeks Pregnant Glucose Tolerance Test

Yesterday I went in to do the GTT - Glucose Tolerance Test. They recommend you do the test around 28 weeks of pregnancy to check that you're not getting gestational diabetes. I had to do the 2hr test.

The GTT is supposed to go like this... Step 1: 12 hour fast, water only allowed. So I booked the test in for 7:30am - that way I could finish dinner by 7:30pm the night before and not feel too hungry by the time the test was finished at 9:30am the next morning. Step 2: The start of the test. They take a few small samples of blood, then you drink all at once a sugary drink and they start the timer. Step 3: One hour later they take some more blood samples. Step 4: One hour later (end of test) they take the final blood sample and you get to go. You wait for the results, maybe a day or two, and they decide what to do from there.

My story went like this...
12hr fast, ok - I was feeling a bit weak and super hungry by the time it came to leave the house. I had to stop myself from grabbing a biscuit or an apple - as is the norm when I'm starving - every time I passed through the kitchen. I get there and they do the blood thing and give me this drink. It looks and tastes just like lemonade. Sugary, very flat lemonade, but still that's what it came across like. The bottle filled two glasses. The first glass went down awesome. The second I had to attempt it a few times. By the time I got to the bottom, I would get an uncontrollable shudder each time I swallowed. My face probably looked like I was sucking lemons. I finished and they started the timer. The lovely nurse gave me a pillow and I went to wait in the 'waiting room/reception'. I waited. Bored. Pulled out my crochet - I was making a little hat for our baby with soft multi-coloured yarn. It had shades of pale blue, pale green, white and a slight lavender. It looked boyish though, we can't have him dressed to make people wonder if he's a he or a she when he arrives.

The nurse said after about an hour I would probably feel a bit tired because the way our bodies process the sugar. But for me, after about 20 minutes I started feeling weak. My arms were moving a lot slower and crocheting was getting hard to do - not usual for me. I began to feel a bit sick and thought I just needed to go #2 or maybe throw up. I fidgeted around with my hair-ties to tie my hair up incase I did throw up. I went to the bathroom, #2 but no throwing up, I felt a lot better (sorry for the info). I thought, sweet, I'm good now.

But... About 10 or 15 minutes after that I really began to feel ill. I lost a bit of co-ordination, felt sick, like I might faint or throw up. I stood up slowly (reminder that I'm in the waiting room with about 8 other people. 4 or 5 of whom could see me) and walked to the counter and asked the lady if it was normal to feel so sick. And as she was replying I started to see static. You know just before you faint, everything kind of turns into un-tuned tv black & white static. I remember her saying it's not uncommon to feel nauseous and to just take a seat. Easier said than done.

I turned around, everything still worsening static and walked, I don't know how long it took me to get to my seat but I know I was wobbling and taking steps left and right and probably looking very drunk. I found myself on the seat and a nurse was there with her arm on me. She might have got me to my seat but I think I blacked out at some stage. Now I was sure that everyone was looking at me. But I felt so sick and weak I couldn't do anything. I put my hand up to my mouth and with whatever strength I had in me I power-chucked clear liquid everywhere.

Gross.

I was so embarrassed. I threw up a few more times and the nurses brought a couple of small buckets. I put my hand down on the seat to hold myself up but it felt wet and sticky, ew. I didn't know what to do. I just threw up again and again. I kept saying, "I'm so sorry." I really was. People still watching. After maybe 5 minutes I was starting to come right. They brought a towel and led me to the restroom where I blew my nose a hundred times and realised I had thrown up on my chest, my shoulder, my jeans - both legs, my hand bag - inside, outside and all over the strap, my sleeves. Everything was wet.

I started to cry. I cried and cried. I was so upset with myself for not finishing the test. I'm 99% sure they'll try make me do it again. Oh, Lord, please make them all tell me it's not that important and that it's ok if I don't do it again. Time to call my midwife and let her know what happened, and to pray that she has sympathy and tells me that I don't need to re-book. Amen.

On a plus side - we had our scan yesterday too and the baby is 100% fine :) Praise God.