WLS Pregnancy Stories – The Big Glucose Test
Katie – Sleeve – 2012
In 2016 I sent my best friend, of 30 years, a very important text. She immediately responded with an equally important message. Not only were we pregnant but we had the same due date. Her son and my daughter were born 8 hours apart! What are the odds? No really… We are not great at statics… What are they?!
We had very similar pregnancies in regards to sickness, weight gain, food cravings (or lack thereof), and weight loss afterwards. One vastly different experience was the glucose test. I was given the 1 hour test and failed. It wasn’t too bad but chocking down that drink was horrible. I felt a little weak but a peanut butter cracker later I felt fine. Ok… it was a whole package of peanut butter crackers. Sorry Food Coach!
The 3 hour test is when things got bad. If you have never taken this test count your blessings. Have you ever had a flat lemon-lime flavored soda? Did you ever think to yourself “Wow! This is really tasty! I want a whole glass of this in a very short amount of time!” I didn’t think so. As soon as I finished the last sip I was handed a timer and reported to the waiting room. I instantly felt light headed and very sweaty. I won’t get in to the nitty gritty, but I will say I spent most of the last 2 hours on a cot with a fan and a cold rag on my forehead. This was the only time in my pregnancy that I was physically ill. Luckily enough time had passed that I didn’t have to retake the test. I passed!
As I laid there, dizzy and sweaty, I thought there had to be a better way for us Post-Op mommies! I am able to tell my house to turn up the AC. When I plug in my headphones, my phone knows to start playing whatever embarrassing audiobook I’m listening to. I can even tell my car to find the nearest ice cream health food store. And still doctors are like “Drink this flat liquid sugar, take this egg timer, and sweat it out in the waiting room. Then I’ll add insult to injury and stick you with a needle a few times. Don’t worry. At the end you will get some stale, discount brand peanut butter crackers.” **letting it go**
This is a good time to mention, I am not a doctor and I have no medical experience. After consulting my doctor and my extensive googling research I found that this subject is popping up more and more as bariatric surgeries are becoming more mainstream. There are other ways out there to test glucose levels and they all seem to involve multiple blood draws after a longer period of time.
The best advice I can give you is to talk to your doctor from the very beginning about the glucose test and any concerns you have. When I had my surgery I surrounded myself with a support team. That same team got me through my pregnancy. Stephanie was one of the first people I told about my pregnancy so that I could start off right! Then I told my trainer he was fired because I was pregnant and didn’t want to work out… Ok so maybe I don’t have all the answers but I have my experience.
Katie had the Gastric Sleeve in 2012 and lost 100 pounds!
⇒ Pre-pregnancy weight was 15o.
⇒ Her delivery weight was 175.
⇒ Her current weight is 140.
And her baby girl was delivered perfectly healthy and beautiful!
