Testing, testing...1, 2, 3

Today was not a fun day.  Today I had to endure the dreaded 3-hour glucose screening to test for gestational diabetes. 

Yesterday, I went for my regular OB checkup which also included an hour long glucose test.  I had to drink this orange flavored cola (reminded me of Sunkist) within 5 minutes, which really wasn't all that bad.  It was cold, sweet and carbonated like an actual soda.  I then sat for an hour to let my body break down the sugars and then they pricked my finger to test my blood sugar levels.  A few minutes later the nurse came in and gave me the unexpected news...I failed.  I really didn't think I'd fail.  Apparently the count should be 125 or under and my count was 129.  I didn't fail it miserably, but nonetheless, I failed.

I was then given instruction to call the lab used by my insurance company to schedule an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning (today) to go in and have the 3-hour test done to determine whether or not I actually have gestational diabetes.  I would need to fast from midnight until after the test.  My last bit of food/water was at 9pm last night...snacks at Bunco.  :) 

So, I showed up this morning at 8am, right when they opened, filled out some paperwork and the testing began.  They drew blood from my left arm at 8:35am (testing my levels before the sugary drink & fasting), then had me drink the same orange drink I had yesterday except with 100mg of sugar versus 50mg and warm versus cold.  It took me the entire 5minutes to force this one down.  It was awful.  I then sat for an hour.  I was able to kick back in a recliner and watch the Today show, so this first hour wasn't all that bad until I started feeling nauseous from not having any food on my stomach and then drinking that horrible beverage.  Blah!

At 9:35am the nurse came in, asked how I was feeling and then poked & drew blood from my right arm this time.  I then sat for another hour.  During this hour I read Us weekly, catching up on the latest celebrity drama: Kate & Will's trip to Canada & the U.S., Jessica & Justin getting back together, updates on all the Teen Mom's, and checking out the latest fashion trends.  I was starting to feel some better, but really getting tired of sitting in a lab with random people coming in & out needing various types of testing.  At least I was in a seperate room and not out in the general waiting room. 

At 10:35am, I went to track down the nurse to get my blood drawn for the 3rd time.  This time we went back to my left arm.  Once the blood was drawn, we did a little more paperwork, talked about the baby and then I returned to what began to feel like my 'holding cell' for ONE more hour.  This hour went by a little faster because I was joined by another girl my age who was having the hour long glucose test (which I did at my doctor's office yesterday).  We exchanged pregnancy stories, our due dates (she is due two weeks after me) and the sex of our babies.  She & her husband opted not to find out, but she has a hunch it's a girl.  It was fun to talk to someone at the same stage of pregnancy as me...we could relate on so many different topics.  When we took a break from talking, I was able to read up on my latest book from my pediatrician, Baby 411. 

At 11:35am, the nurse called me to have my 4th and FINAL blood sample taken.  Hallelujah!  She poked and drew blood from my right arm (balancing me out...twice in the left, and twice in the right).  I signed some papers, got my insurance card back and bolted out the door!  I couldn't wait to get some FOOD in this belly!  I was really wanting to go get some good food, but I had a lunch meeting at work starting at 12pm so I had to go straight there and eat the pizza that was delivered for us.

That wonderful start to the day sure made for an extremely long remainder of the day.  I sure hope tomorrow is much better...and it will be if I start off with a call from my doctor with the results of this darn test...telling me I PASSED!