Dietician Appointment and Glucose Monitor Training 

Due to the results of the Glucose Tolerance Test, I was referred to the Nutrition Department for follow up. Originally, I was scheduled for a 3 hour class on Wednesday, however, after a private counseling appointment opened up for yesterday, I took that instead both to get the information quicker and was shorter in duration. I was told I’d get diet advice and a glucose meter.

I was surprised and delighted by the picture signs that each department had. This one was for the one my appointment was at.

This is the one for the department used as landmark to pass by then look at the opposite end of the hall to Nitrition.

I was skeptical and a bit grumpy even to have to attend this session. The Dietician agreed with me (and countless critics of the test) that it sets someone up to take in more Glucose in one meal than many people would in a day. Further, it’s widely known that exercise can lower blood sugar in a healthy way after a meal, this is one reason why diabetics are encouraged to exercise. Yet, people taking the test are forbidden to excercise before or during the test.

A lot of the information was on food types, timing, portion and combing. While the information was valuable, there was little I couldn’t have found online quickly and easily.

For me the truly valuable part was the personal instruction. The Dietician said much of what I ate was ideal, yet I should have been spacing milk out more instead of driving so much as a part of breakfast. The restaurant lunches I was having at work probably contained a lot of sugar as that’s often done to make the food more appealing.

Considering I had these factors along with drinking water infused with fruit in play now, which were not when I took the original blood screening in March as a new pregnancy patient, she agreed it was possible my results could be attributable to that. Further, the test is a screener meaning it is assessing risk instead of truly diagnostic as repeated direct Glucose monitoring is.

For the last twenty minutes or so we went over the Glucose Meter. Since my appointment was so close to the day it was scheduled, it was not possible to know which meter supplies insurance covered. So I was given the OneTouch Uktra as it is easy to use and has relatively inexpensive supplies on Amazon. I did like the discreet pouch it comes with for travel.

Inside the kit has a device to draw blood, and a digital monitor. I was given some needles (capped and shown in the left hand pocket) and a few test strips.

Techicnally the process for taking a blood sugar reading should be quick, easy and relatively painless. I’m not a fan of needles and don’t even watch the many blood draws I’ve had as part of this pregnancy. So to have to time right and find time and a setup to take these upon waking and an hour after breakfast, lunch and dinner provides a lot of logistical challenges for me. This doesn’t mean I won’t do it, but I’m still trying to figure out how to especially on weekdays – am I testing in a bathroom stall, that would give me privacy but doesn’t seem sanitary, or my car, that would feel weird. If I did at a table or desk, people could walk by and see.

In the end with a lot of encouragement and coaxing, I was helped to take my first reading. Alison had to help me squeeze my finger to get drops of blood out. Though I won’t be pale white and shaking after this I won’t have any help, either.

My first reading was in normal range even for a non pregnant woman. This was with a processed but bar with a bit of chocolate on it. While I wasn’t exactly trying to get a high reading, as far as I know though I took it about two hours after I ate it as that’s how the session went, it could and should have been higher if I truly gave Gestational Diabetes.

I’ll follow the instructions: picking up my supplies tomorrow if the insurance has approved by then and starting Monday and do and record readings, however, if the results continue to be in normal range and this has happened to some of the Dietician’s clients before, I will be unsurprised and delighted to tell Dr. G and see where we go from there.