Glucose Tolerance Test: What to expect

Last Monday saw me back at the midwife (after paying them a visit the previous Friday) for my glucose tolerance test. This is a test which shows whether or not you've developed gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes which can develop during pregnancy where the hormonal changes affect the body's ability to produce insulin.

At my booking appointment I was flagged as likely to need this test because of two factors; a family history of Type 2 diabetes and the fact I was on a cocktail of drugs following the fertility treatment. Later, I was prescribed steroids for the hyperemesis, this in turn increases one's risk of developing gestational diabetes. I think there was at least one other factor which raised my risk as well, possibly the fact I'm over 30. And I was sure that the fact I'd basically spent three months surviving on a diet of sweets and flat dandelion and burdock wouldn't have helped matters either.

When I broached the subject of the GTT test on the Friday, the midwife checked the protocols and agreed I was due to be tested and booked me back in for the Monday.

First things first, you have to fast for a set period of time before the test. I was due in for my first blood test (of three) at 9:15am so was given instructions to fast from midnight. This was the day after my baby shower so I'd had plenty of sweet treats and returned home with a cake. I had a sneaky plan to help myself to a slice if I found myself needing a late night loo trip. Of course I then slept through til 1:30am by which time there was no way I'd get away with a snack.

I was allowed small sips of water, so I was, thankfully, able to take my morning ondansetron. I'd had to check this with the midwife before test day, so if you're on any medication find out if you're allowed to take it. I was so glad they let me have the anti-emetic as if you throw up during the test, you have to repeat it at a later date. I was keen to get it out of the way without having to do a make up test later.

At 9:15am my mum and I rocked up to the maternity unit where my blood was taken. I'd had blood taken on the Friday from the right arm, so we started with the left. You've got to have a total of three blood draws so it's useful to know which veins are your best so you can point them out to the midwife. My elbow veins are great but the fact that I'd not drank much meant I was a little sluggish and it seemed to take ages to get enough into the vial.

I was then presented with a little plastic bottle which looked horribly like a bottle of Ensure at first glance. I'd been expecting Lucozade (which I strongly dislike) so this was a pleasant surprise. It tasted nothing like Lucozade (or Ensure) and was kind of sherbetty, like liquid sherbet fountain.

You've got to down it in five minutes. And then you wait.

This is where you really want to be prepared. Your blood is taken again one hour and two hours after your initial blood draw, so there's a lot of waiting. I was given the option to go away and come back for each following draw, but you're not allowed to move around too much (as this can affect the results of the test) and since it'd be a ten or so minute journey in each direction to head away from the hospital, there seemed little point in leaving.

Mum and I were shown to another room (our maternity unit consists of an examination/appointment room, a second examination room with the birthing pool, an office, a bedroom, a toilet, staff room, cupboard and sluice) since they needed to keep the examination room free for anyone else who came in. We spent most of the first hour sitting in the second examination room with the birthing pool and chatting.

I've heard of some people having these tests and having to sit in the waiting room for the duration, just getting called back for each blood draw. I'm glad that our hospital is small enough that we were just able to chill in a private room.

I'd also recommend that if you can take someone with you, do! Even if you have to sit in a waiting area, time goes a lot quicker if you've got someone to chat with.

We also brought plenty to entertain ourselves. Mum brought knitting, I took some work stuff to do (which I didn't do much with, I'll admit), my Kindle and Johanna Basford's Christmas Colouring Book.

Shortly before my 10:15am blood sample was due to be taken the two midwives who were on duty stopped by to check on how we were getting on, and stayed for a chat about my colouring and mum's crafting.

I have to admit, the two of them are my favourites. K is my named midwife who I've seen right since my first visit to the unit at 6+2 weeks when we rushed up there with the bleed that heralded the loss of Bo's twin. She was totally calm and reassuring, and even called back later in the day to check how I was doing. L is one of the midwives I saw two years ago when we miscarried the twins, she also saw us when we got the call that I was going to need to be admitted at 9 weeks due to the hyperemesis. Again, she was reassuring and concerned for me, making sure I had everything I needed for the journey to hospital and even gave me her bottle of juice from her lunch in case I wanted something to drink on the way. They're just lovely women.

So blood draw number two was back to the right arm and was pretty painful as that one had only been tapped three days before. Once again, I was slow to hit the mark on the vial. The midwife had me wiggling my fingers and everything to try getting it out quicker.

It was also a little after this that I started getting nauseous. I was kind of worried about this because 11am was one of my times when I used to throw up regularly and the last thing I wanted was to fall at the final hurdle. Luckily at this point, the midwife came and asked me if I'd like some tea and toast when I was done. This spurred me on, we'd planned to get something to eat right afterwards but I jumped at the prospect of tea and toast.

The final blood draw soon came round, at 11:15am. This wasn't the best of the three. The midwife wasn't keen on going back into the same left elbow vein as the first one, since it had bled a little afterwards, but she spotted a good looking vein off to the side of my arm, so we gave that one a go.

We won't be using that one again any time soon!

This was taken the morning after. It really surprised me the following morning when I spotted it, I rarely bruise from getting blood taken.

Soon enough I was being brought my tea and toast, and oh my, they don't kid around here! Normally when I've come round from an op you get a couple of thin slices of toast and a little cup of tea. Well, imagine my surprise when the midwife handed me a plate with four thick slices of toast with real butter! It was probably the best toast I've ever tasted. There was so much of it that I had to get my mum to eat some and still left a slice and a half on the plate!

And then we were free to go, at around 11:45am. Perhaps not the best way to spend a morning but it wasn't too bad over all.

Funnily enough, I wasn't too concerned about the results. I knew that either I wouldn't have gestational diabetes or I would, in which case I'd have a new series of appointments to deal with it.

When the phone rang at 5:50pm, right at the end of Oz the Great and Powerful, I was convinced that they'd found something was up and that was why they were calling me. Turns out, it was all good, including the results from the Friday (with the exception of one, which we find out later hadn't been run correctly at the lab ago needed to be repeated on Thursday).

So I cracked out a box of chocolates to celebrate, guilt free!

Oh, and that bruise?

As of Saturday it had gone a delightful shade of eggplant!