Taoin turns inward

[Taoin Sisu]

Quick summary: I'm Taoin Sisu, I am a working mum 3 days a week, a SAHM 3 days a week and 1 day a week my gorgeous special needs preschooler is in childcare to be just me.

 

I've done 2.5 challenges and had to abort the 3rd challenge when I got pregnant with my second child and morning sickness became too much.

 

Current status:

I'm almost back into the swing of things and currently at 20 weeks pregnant. But I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes 2 weeks ago. I made some dietary changes (it wasn't too hard I was basically eating healthy by then anyway) but I saw the diabetic educator at the hospital 2 days ago and now I've gone hard core. Food diary (My Fitness Pal) carb counting as per guidelines from hospital, blood sugar testing 4 times a day, regular meals and snacks, no crap food. At all. Also having to walk 30 min per day, just started that. Using an app called Mysugr to keep track of everything.

 

The hospital will want my food diary over the next two weeks, I have to email them my blood sugar test results twice a week, and on 21/05/2018 I have an appointment with a specialist who I have been assured by 3 other mums is a complete "evil b*#@h" to quote who left 2 mums in tears, while the other made sure to take her mum with her as a support person. Quick to recommend insulin and c-section, and blame the mother for the issues. So, there's that coming up as well.

 

I am stressed but not daunted. I will rise to this, my family and baby are depending on me. Hubby was severely traumatised by last emergency c section when our son had to be resuscitated 3 times, and our son needs me at home, so hoping for natural, but in the end whatever is safe for healthy baby.

 

On the plus side I have free access to the diabetic educator and can ask for referral to a dietician, so I have a free "heath coach team", my testing gives me  quick feedback on my diet and how my body is coping, I have external accountability in spades thanks to the "specialist from hell" and internal motivation as baby needs me to be good. Hey, that's an awesome recipe for success right? Even if I'm pissed about it all.

 

My diet is pretty damn good, my blood sugars are under control in the daytime, but my overnight fasting is too high. Good motivation to go for that walk after dinner.

 

I've joined a gestational diabetes mum's Facebook group and they have some good tips to help, but even with everything I'm doing, the fasting result may be due to the hormones the placenta is producing, which is out of my control. If it continues I might need to be on a night dose of insulin (needle in tummy, ow!).

 

I won't log everyday here, but I'll do what I can. The next challenge starts the day before the specialist appointment, so I'll be setting up my challenge in the rebels then. Main goal: get my fasting sugar under control.

 

So, this is me kicking gestational diabetes to the curb:

 

 

Er, hopefully

[Taoin Sisu]

Had my first hypo today. Wasn't bad. My fasting levels were getting better, I've gone from 5.5 to 5.2 and today was 5.0 (need to be under 5.0 for fasting).

 

But then I started getting really irritable before my post breakfast reading. We were out and about and I needed to take the test in the toilets for privacy at the shopping centre. Needed to be between 4 and 7, I hit 3.9. That's only 0.1 under right? But I felt off and was worried I was heading down. Grabbed a quick takeaway cappuccino with 2 sugars (17g carb) to up my sugars while hubby was distracting our son. Felt better quickly but our son Matthew had a melt down when he noticed I wasn't there so John brought him to me while I was in the queue and then he tried to grab my coffee (sigh).

 

So for lunch I tried upping my carbs a bit, got a solid 5.5 post lunch, then slightly lower carb snack (needs to be 15g, I had 11g to compensate for lunch), then very low carb snack mid afternoon (1g carb). Had to go for walk early as it was going to rain and I got reflux. 

 

Feeling ick so I upped carbs for dinner. My limit for meals is 45g, I had 46g and then immediately needed to go and lie down and fell asleep. Woke up at 9pm with alarm to treat my blood sugar, and scored 6.4, which is under 7 but my highest so far. So today I've gone from hypo to fairly high, just from fluctuations in my carb intake. And we're taking tiny fluctuations.

 

My evening is the highest it's ever been, I can't stomach a supper before bedtime and not sure what readings I will get tomorrow after fasting but guessing higher than 5.0.

 

Ugh. Thinking I really should have just had the cappuccino with the 2 sugars and then after that tried to eat normally (eg 15g carb snacks, 35g carb lunch). My hypo corrected quickly but then I went overboard and it ended up all over the place.

 

But yesterday seemed to have not half bad readings so maybe I can use yesterday's intake as a guide? If I keep my snacks at 11g to 15g and my main meals 33g to 40g, and make sure I get enough for breakfast so I don't go hypo ie include either egg or Greek yoghurt maybe that will help.

 

I'll start fresh tomorrow and get a good night's sleep tonight. And I'll drink plenty of water through the night. 

 

I have 8 days left before I see the specialist and I need to get the fasting sugar under control. I'll see what the next two days bring.

[Taoin Sisu]

4.8 yesterday for fasting, yay! 5.1 for fasting today, boo! Went for a walk yesterday evening (to the chemist to get new needles, they call them lancets). Will go for a walk tonight this time to the shops to get batteries as the monitor batteries are running low (sigh).

 

Thinking I'll trial skipping supper again and see how my fasting goes tomorrow, as that seemed ok for fasting last time. I'm not hungry then and don't think I really need it.

 

Managed to juggle getting Matthew ready and having a decent breakfast at a later time, testing and snacks went fine at work, boss and colleagues were understanding and supportive. I think I might need to up my lunch carbs at work a little...

 

I'm glad I don't have a thing about logging numbers and getting all worked up, or this could easily do my head in.

 

I am feeling better for having a good breakfast and because I have a snack at home time at work before heading home I don't feel the urge to stop at the shops and get chocolate/chips to eat on the bus, so that works out. Too tired to prep meals/snacks the night before so squeeze it in in the morning along with getting Matthew's snacks and lunchbox ready.

 

Feeling tired. But off to work. Going to be late as Matthew had a melt down before preschool (didn't want to put his jumper on and it's cold!)