My first day as a gestational diabetes patient

The diabetic educator was over here on Sunday. Who would've thought that they'd send someone on a Sunday here in church-land? I was pleased. She did her best to explain everything but it's still rather overwhelming.

I don't mind the portioning so much as I do the lack of freedom to eat when I want. I graze pretty frequently ... nix that, I used to graze and nibble a lot - now I can't do that until I've checked my sugar - and I'm checking my sugar two hours after every meal. Oh and when I wake up I check my pee for ketones and check a fasting blood sugar. In short, I'm a pincushion. The non-grazing, hungry type.

For those who are following along at home, here's the schedule:
Wake up at Omygodit'searly and dip urine. Shake head at the ketones that appear there. Check fasting blood sugar while bleary-eyed and try not to miss the test strip. Eat "breakfast" which is now limited to only one carb selection, so no milk(carb) and cereal(carb) but half an English muffin with some Canadian bacon and cheddar cheese. Have coffee and put milk and a touch of sugar in it anyway. Go to the bathroom again. Fill up 32 oz water bottle for the trip to work.

Get to work. Go to the bathroom. Check sugar 2 hours after breakfast. Shake head how it's just slightly above the cutoff of 120, at 123. Figure that someone must have added sugar to the cheddar cheese. Drink water. Go to the bathroom again. Call diabetic center and enter readings on computerized system.

Get call back from an RN to discuss my ketones and elevated sugars in an attempt to regulate me better. She wants me to eat a snack before bed. I explain that I work till 6, don't get home till close to 7 and therefore don't eat till around 8 and that staying up till 10 to check my sugar is all I can do in my current state. She hmmms understandingly and advises a snack anyway, or maybe an extra snack in the afternoon. She says no milk and sugar in my coffee. She also tells me to drink lots of water. I stifle my reply.

Eat snack 3 hours after breakfast. This is not easy in a busy nursing area, but my manager has actually been great about it. Of course, the snack is 6 (low sodium)Triscuits (not five. Nor seven. SIX)and 1 oz of cheddar cheese so it doesn't take long. I can hear my arteries groaning. Drink more water. Another bathroom break.

Call husbandly one to inform him that I need to eat dinner earlier. Advise him what is ready for cooking and if he can oblige. He says he will.

Go to the bathroom. Eat lunch around 3 hours after snack. A nice healthy salad with protein - something I normally eat anyway - and a piece of fruit. The Propel water I bought the teenager and of which I snagged one to try is DISGUSTING. So much for that idea. Drink water instead. Go to the bathroom again. Fill up water bottle.

Another bathroom visit. This is getting old. Check sugar two hours after lunch. It's ... 96!!!! YES!!! The crowd goes wild and tells me to drink more water.

Another snack. This time it's my much loved cereal and 1% milk. Nature's Path Honey'd Raisin Bran, folks. I'll drive miles just to find it. You heard it here. Besides, I need the fiber. No need for bathroom just yet.

Go to the bathroom and then drive home. Grumble hungrily about the lack of fruit in my diet. Drink water. Wonder if my bladder will last the drive and thank the gods for the lack of traffic on 270 (for once).

Arrive home. No dinner is being cooked. Try to rush to bathroom and am interrupted mid-flight by Husbandly one who immediately enters kitchen upon my arrival with claim of "I'll cook dinner". I tell him it's not necessary as I'm here NOW ... the issue is eating dinner EARLIER. I tell him in caps, so he gets it. He insists guiltily on doing it anyway. I end up chopping the broccoli anyway as he protests he is unsure what to do. For a man who can figure out woodworking on his own, he sure is helpless. Leave him in kitchen so I can visit the bathroom. Finally.

Eat dinner at 7:30. Jr's friend is eating with us. Jr's chores are not done. I say nothing much. I eat too much protein but am very careful with the carbs. I fill up on veggies, which is fine, I love em. Drink more water. Eat two plums for dessert with the realization that I can!! Wooohoooo!!!! Fruit!!! We watch the Cowboys and Seahawks as I drink my water.

An hour later eat a half popsicle as Diabetic Educator has said anything 10grams of carb or under is a free food. Go to the bathroom. An hour after that, my sugar is 171. OOps. I stare at the watermelon in the refrigerator lovingly.

Call the diabetes hotline. She tells me to drink more water and still eat my evening snack. I dispatch my triscuits and cheese with gusto and drink more water. Go to the bathroom several more times between then and sleep time.

Sleep through the night without ONE bathroom break. I am amazed at that realization when I awake far too early on my day off. Pee. I have ketones again. Go back to sleep.

Wake two hours later and pee again. Ketones, same amount. Check my blood sugar ... it's 96!! Woohoooo!! Go downstairs and fix the other half of the English muffin with Canadian bacon and cheddar. Pour coffee and add a 1/2 tsp of sugar and a dollop of milk.

Realize the teenager has still not done his chores. Shrug and write this.