Solidarity, My GD Sisters

Today was a day to dread.... the glucose tolerance test.  Now, because I had gestational diabetes (GD) during my first pregnancy, I was 'lucky' enough to get to forgo the evil tasting glucose drink (Lucozade for the Irish) and get my bloods taken every hour for 3 hours.  Hurray!  I got to go straight to what I've named the 'Tea and Toast Test.'  The TaTT consists of fasting for at least 8 hours, getting your blood drawn and getting a green voucher for "breakfast" (toast with butter and tea or coffee). You go eat your toast, drink you tea and come back in an hour. 

I found it kind of weird walking into the hospitals canteen for my TaT, surrounded by other women with that same green voucher.  It was like a ticket to the TaTT sisterhood...all these women who knew exactly what I was going through.  All these women had either failed their Lucozade test or had had GD in a previous pregancy.  We were all wondering, 'will I have to start insulin tomorrow?' and 'Have I failed that badly at trying to eat healthy?'  We all saw in a solidarity silence and munched our toast, drank our tea, and read our respective choice reading material. 

It's funny how we all kept to ourselves though.  I really wanted to sit down next to one of them and strike up a conversation.  But that probably would have gotten me weird looks... I suppose something I used to, really. 

Now, the waiting room for the Diabetic Clinic is a bit different.  You're jammed into this smallish area awaiting your charts, your pee-cup and your chance to hear the good or bad news.  I've found success in having some pleasant chats with mum's to be in similar situations, which has been really nice.  To find someone to bitch about maltitol and insulin about; someone who gets your story.  But still, you do feel like cattle waiting for the slaughter. 

But today, my success; my light at the end of the 5 and a half hour tunnel.  My temporary reprieve.  My results.  While my body currently doesn't want to process glucose at night properly, it's doing it during the day after eating.  The endocrinologist says this is common in GD women (which I'm probably considered as I've had it before) but that since my body is processing the glucose after meals, I won't need insulin... yet.  And then I may only need it for a while just at bed time!  To some the idea of having to stick oneself ONCE with a needle is just horrendeous, to me it is marvelous!  I have 3 weeks of reprieve from insulin!  Three more weeks I won't need to stick my fingers 7 times a day!  I'll take it!  So if Dr. Endo tells me in three weeks that I need insulin at night... that's it? JUST at night?  You mean I won't have to give myself two different types of insulin four times a day yet?!? Yippie! 

I'm sure as the pregnancy progresses I'll need more, but I'm taking my small victories as exactly what they are...victories.