ratings

[1997]

It's been a year now that i was diagnosed as diabetic, I am 26 years old and discovered it because in Jan 2003 i miscarried a baby due to high blood sugars which resulted during my pregnancy.  Till date i am not in a position to say that my levels are regular as sometimes they are normal but other times are flactuating a lot. Can be this caused by stress, as i am trying to get pregnant once again what diet shall i do in order to get the perfect rating, according to my gyne he said that my hba1c test should result between 6 - 7%, i check my daily glucose and it reads between 7 and eight is that good for pregnancy?,  but sometimes it is very high like 10 - 11 this can be caused by the stress of moving house??  i am very confused because i would like to get pregnant but with these flactuations i risk to miscarry once again, please help me tell me, what shall i do to solve this problem.

Thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

1997
I'm so glad you found this forum.  It's "only" been a year since your diagnosis of diabetes and often it takes us longer to learn all the in's and out's of managing our levels.  You don't mention if you're Type 1 or Type 2, but I'll assume you're a Type 1 and on insulin.

One of the best things you can do to prepare for pregnancy is to work to get your a1c between 6 & 7%.  The closer to normal your a1c and your blood sugars, the lower the likelihood of miscarriages and birth defects for your baby.  While it's a HUGE challenge to achieve those numbers, it's quite do-able if you work with a team of docs who specialize in high risk pregnancies (all DM pregnancies are considered high risk).  Work closely with an endocrinologist who might suggest more frequent testing and might encourage you to think about pump therapy that can help you achieve the rather stellar blood sugars necessary for a successful pregnancy.

As to your stress question, absolutely stress affects us.  For many, we experience higher blood sugars and others report low blood sugars.  Nonetheless, if our blood sugars are high, we are setting up a potentially serious health hazard for a forming fetus.  Intensive diabetes management can help you avoid highs and treat them quickly without over-correcting.  

I'm sure that this first year of diabetes feels like a very long time.  However, I'd encourage you to be patient and learn learn learn for, perhaps another year, during which time you prepare your body for pregnancy.

I'm not a physician, but am a long time (~35 years) Type 1 diabetic.  Good luck.  Do check back, as I"m sure others will want to comment on the very important questions you ask.

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

1997
I had another thought after I posted my "answer" to you.

YOu mention being followed by a gyn doctor, but didn't mention if you are being followed by an endocrinologist or diabetologist.  This step is, by far, the most important step in managing your diabetes ... whether planning pregnancy or not.  Further, work with a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) to figure out ways of eating that are both healthful and also include food that you like.  A "diabetic" diet is simply a balanced, healthy diet with portion control.

You can manage this disease and you'll find it a easier if you work with a team of professionals who specialize in helping us manage our lives with this disease.

All the best,

[JDRF Team SGG]

You did not mention how often you test your glucose... while attempting to get tight control over those numbers, I would test certainly before every meal, and also once between meals and at bedtime. Frequent testing helps you catch glucose numbers that are rising, and a dose of quick-acting insulin can get them down to normal within a couple of hours. You need to talk with your endocrine specialist about how to be flexible in your diet and in your medication dosage so you can adjust the numbers by yourself to cover highs and lows. I, like LRS, am a long-time diabetic, and it is amazing to me how many diabetics have not been taught to do this. I firmly believe it is essential for good glucose control and I encourage you to nag your doctor until you can be trained to know how to adjust your own medication doses.

[1997]

Thank you very much for your answers, i am followed by both gyne and diabetologist which they correspond between them also.  I check my glucose regular as my diabetologist adv me just twice a week. i was very regular but with this stress I became very unregular.  The only thing that i am afraid of is that i try to get results from my diabetologist by why should i have to ask for each and every problem i face why he just don't sit and explaine what should i do how should i manage my sugar. it is easy for me to read on the internet bucause i know how but if i was illeterate??? Maybe by the end of this month i will be settled in the new house so that all the stress can stop, then i can do my A1c again to check, this test i do it every three months and other regular test every six months( I just did them once again.) I hope to get the correct way, I find that you help a lot with your answers as we can learn from others problems as I did and maybe others did from mine.  Thanks once again I will keep in touch thanks.