Life Altering News

I know you're all just waiting to hear what the doctor told me today... I'm sure you can only guess by the title of my post what I'm going to tell you. I do, indeed, have gestational diabetes. I'm so early in my pregnancy, though, my doctor thinks I might have had diabetes before I got pregnant. They usually don't test you until you're around 20 weeks, but considering my family history, they tested me early and caught it.

Both of my parents have it, and combined with the fact that I'm overweight, my chances of getting the real deal is 70%. That's pretty high odds. I'm sure I have the real deal. However, even the doctor said it's impossible to tell if this is the real thing or if it's just gestational (meaning lasting only for as long as I'm pregnant) -- until I have the baby. At 6 weeks post-pardum, they'll do another 3 hour blood test to see if the levels have finally evened out. If not, I'm going to be stuck with it for the rest of my life.

Good news is (the silver lining, if you will) this forces me to eat healthier. To get more exercise. We've all been telling ourselves, "Yeah, yeah, we'll stop eating out all the time, we'll go for walks, we'll get on that exercise bike..." But do we? It kind of dies off after a time. But this is something you've got to stick with for the long haul.

My doctor is optimistic, however, that we caught it so early in the pregnancy, since it can now be treated, and there will be less harm to the baby. I might have to be put on pills to control my sugars, we'll discuss that on Wednesday when I go in for my next exam. I went to Rite Aid today to get my blood sugar tester device thingamajig and took my own blood sugar for the first time. So we'll see how it plays out.

I see a dietitian on February 5th, so they'll teach me more about eating healthy, good foods and good snacks, that kind of thing, and will also help me in making choices that will fit into our family and what we normally eat. So this is a blessing in disguise, really. Catching it early to help the baby, and having my family eat healthier and be healthier.

Just keep me in your prayers. I might need a little divine help with the old willpower. However, knowing it's not just ME I've got to keep healthy here will be a big influence between choosing the apple or the chocy covered pretzels.

Thanks to everyone for the support, and I guess I'll let you know 6 weeks after baby is born if this Big "D" goes away. My thoughts are - it won't. Not when it runs in my family with both parents. But after having a good cry this afternoon, I'm surprisingly peaceful with this turn of events. I may get misty from time to time, but I know the Big "G"'s got His hand on me. If He brings me to it, He'll bring me through it, right? :)

~~Becka
http://www.RebeccaGoings.com