glucose tolerance test

According to babycenter.com, the Glucose Tolerance Test (or GTT) is usually taken between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy; but during my appointment with the OB two weeks ago, she recommended that I take it, even though I was just 20 weeks along then. I’m guessing that it’s probably because I have diabetes in the family (Papa had it), so she wanted to know the results as early as now. However, I didn’t take the test right away. The laboratory was open 24 hours anyway, and I was told that I could take the test any time, as long as I took it before my next OB appointment. So I decided to take it after 2 weeks, when our Thursday night and Friday morning schedules were free; which is why I took it yesterday. I had been instructed that I should fast 8 to 10 hours before taking the test, so I made sure that the last thing I put in my mouth on Thursday night was at 9 o’clock (it was a glass of milk); and at 6am the following day, Hubby and I were on our way to the hospital.

When we got there, the nurse took my papers, asked what time I started fasting, and told me to sit down and get ready to have my blood taken (I opted to have it taken from my right arm first). I’ve never liked looking while this goes on, so I was wondering why he was taking longer than usual. Turns out that he had to take 2 tubes of my blood! Yikes! After that, he left and returned with a big cup of glucose (it said 75g, and was about the same size as a medium cup of drink from the fastfood restaurants) which I had to drink in one go. Augh! It tasted like pineapple juice with lots and lots of sugar. Tolerable, but really, really sweet. Before leaving, he gave me a small container (for my urine sample), and instructed me that until I had finished taking the test, I could not throw up what I had drank. Then, I had to wait for an hour.

At 7:30am (after the 1 hour was up), my blood had to be taken again. Fortunately, only 1 tube had to be filled this time (taken from my left arm), and a different nurse took my blood (I noticed mas magaan sya kumuha compared sa nauna). And then, I had to wait for another hour for my blood to be taken a third (and last) time. Augh again!

At 8:35am, I sat on the chair with my left arm ready to have the blood drawn for the last time. Unfortunately, the nurse couldn’t locate a (different) vein that he could get blood from. He asked if it was ok if he tried one from the back of my hand, but I didn’t want him to (feeling ko kasi, mas masakit dun eh). So he tapped on the veins on my left and right arms, until he seemed to have found one on my left. As usual I looked away, and wondered why it hurt now compared to earlier (he was the same one from the 2nd blood withdrawal). Apparently, he couldn’t get any blood from that vein and had to try another one! Triple AUGH! He tapped on my left and right arms again, until he found one about 1 cm away from the second place where my blood was taken. It hurt a lot this time and I couldn’t help saying OUCH! twice. Finally, he got what he needed. And before leaving the laboratory (and hospital), I managed to fill the container with my urine sample.

Fortunately, unlike my GTT during my first pregnancy, I didn’t throw up and I was able to walk and stand normally. I remember the first time I took the GTT, I threw up all the glucose immediately right after my 3rd blood withdrawal, and Gracie (my SFC baby who had accompanied me that time) really had to assist me to stand and walk. I’m thinking maybe it’s because I had started fasting from morning that time, and I had gone all throughout the day at work without anything to eat or drink, which is most probably why I felt really weak after the test.

Anyway, I’ll only know the results on my next appointment, but hopefully the results will be normal.