26 week growth scan and first post-pump HbA1c

[RuthieG]

Hi All

I had my 26 week growth scan (well I am actually 25+5 weeks) and was just above the 50th percentile. The obstetrician said this is negligible in terms of too big and he is happy.

Plus having been on a pump since early February I got my first HbA1c result since pump today. My last pre-pump reading was 5.3% so I had good control on injections (novarapid and lantus).

But my latest HbA1c is an amazing 4.8% (29 in new money) I kid you not!

I am beyond happy as not only is it so low but the number of hypos I have been having has really dropped on the pump. The diabetes doc was well pleased!

I am a very happy pregnant diabetic today!!!🙂🙂

Ruthie

__________________
Type 1 : Diagnosed July 2003 : Last HbA1c 6.4, 6.1, 5.3. Currently pregnant (due 2 Aug 2012)

 

[brett]

well done🙂, unbelievable 4.8. hope everything carries on going well for you.

 

[Smit]

Wow what a great hba1c, I've never heard of someone having such a low figure. Glad the punp is working for you. Congrats, hope the pregnancy continues well. Xx

 

[rachelha]

That is amazing especially with a reduction in hypos. Fantastic

 

[RuthieG]

Thanks All for your encouragement and support

I have never heard of that low either, although when I got my last 5.3% result I didn't think that was possible either. When you look at my blood diary though, it isn't perfect, there are still post meal highs (although not usually higher than 9 and pre-pump they were much higher than that) and the odd low. Hopefully this result shows that all the peaks and troughs are short lived.

I am really pleased and felt like I had passed an exam or something! I don't have to return to the hospital for 4 weeks now which is the longest I have gone since being pregnant.

Long may it continue!

 

[newbs]

My last pre-pump reading was 5.3% so I had good control on injections (novarapid and lantus).

Wow, 4.8% - congratulations on achieving that! Just wondering how you managed to get a pump if your control was so good on MDI? Was it because of multiple hypos? The pump idea is something I am seriously considering but although backed by DSN, not backed my consultant.

Keep up the good work, you are doing amazing! 🙂

 

[RuthieG]

Wow, 4.8% - congratulations on achieving that! Just wondering how you managed to get a pump if your control was so good on MDI? Was it because of multiple hypos? The pump idea is something I am seriously considering but although backed by DSN, not backed my consultant.

Keep up the good work, you are doing amazing! 🙂

Hi Newbs

I think the reason I got a pump so quickly and easily was because I was pregnant, as I didn't get it until I was about 3 months pregnant. However having said that my Diabetes doctor had mentioned it prior to that as something for me to think about, in part because I was having quite alot of hypos which the pump has really, really helped with (although I still have odd ones). They said I can keep it after pregnancy though and were really keen to get me on it.

When I read what everyone else seems to say about hwo hard it is to get a pump I am grateful to the team I am under because they were really proactive in encouraging me onto a pump and I didn't have to beg or justify myself at all.

I really do wonder idf it depends where you live. For info I live in Manchester so maybe it is just a pro-pump area.

 

[Babysaurus]

Well done Ruthie! Makes my 5.1% look almost high!

 

[RuthieG]

Babysaurus when I got my last 5.3% I couldn't believe that was possible either so 4.8% seems unreal. It shows the work we put in for these babies!

I was thinkingthe other eevning that I look forward to going back to being well controlled but not completely neuritic/obsessed. I would be happy to go up to early 6s post baby and at least we both seem to have wriggle room for that even if things go a bit hay wire after our babies come.

Hope all is well with you. I am still having an odd high and low but not extreme ones but I feel much better after the last appointment in terms of worrying about every little imperfect reading.

Keep well

Ruth

 

[Babysaurus]

Ruth, I agree with you completely! Without trying my readings are in the very low 6's,which is fine by me. I am lucky enough to normally be well controlled without always testing, double checking food etc and can't wait to go back to that! Being pregnant has made me feel very much like a 'patient with a chronic illness' which is not something I've felt in 32 years (well, not since I can remember anyway).

I have had the odd high, but by 'high' I mean about 9 or 10, and this is usually in the mornings. While I am pretty sure I will be giving the pump back, I am very glad that it makes things so easy to quickly adjust as I am currently on masses on insulin.

As for worrying about every little imperfect reading, yep I do that too! Matters were not improved by the ante natal apt I had yesterday where the baby appears to have grown from the centre of the graph to the top line. I felt really disappointed and as if it was my fault. I have since managed to get a grip a bit though and remind myself that not only are these things notoriously inaccurate, but my husbands son (now 19) was 9lb (and no medical issues as to why) and also that, as the dietician said, it may be just a growth spurt. I read the thread someone posted a week or so back about measuring big and realised this seems to happen to lots of us but isn't always due to being badly controlled. (Think it's poor Smit who's been all over the graph!) Also, we can't do any better than our best can we, and I reckon we're all doing that! 🙂

 

[RuthieG]

Even the obstetrician said the other day that you also have to allow some room for measurement errors so not to get too hung up on exactly where the little cross on the chart is.

Let's face it - we are never happy because nothing is quite perfect!

Are you having growth scans every few weeks now? My next one is in 4 weeks and like you if things aren't dead on average or perfect I will be very, very disappointed and start thinking 'right, what can I do to change it' whereas when you take a step back and think sensibly we are not all powerful (we wish!) and nature will have some say in what happens to the baby.

I know what you mean about feeling like a sickly patient too but then we should be grateful that they keep such a close eye on us and are so obsessed with how we are doing - easier said than done though.

I also like how you can blame it on your husband for having a 9lb-er!🙂

 

[Babysaurus]

Thats what I told myself, although it did still grate a bit!
Having growth scans every 4 weeks - am guessing that if they were more concerned it would be every two. I guess that in itself is reason not to beat myself up too much!

 

[RuthieG]

Exactly. What can you possibly beat yourself up about? 5.1%? Not really

I am on 4 week scans now and that seems standard maximum so you are right to say if they were worried they would see you more often.

Do you still tend to have lows late morning? I am having to eat something (about 15-20g carbs) without insulin at about 11am to avoid hypos but apparently that is just the baby rather than the insulin or even diabetes and the doctor said even non-diabetic women can struggle with ths drop a bit (although prob not proper hypo levels)

 

[Babysaurus]

If anything I tend to go high mid morning. I also have to take between 1 and 2 units before I get up as the slighest movement sends it shooting up, and I generally like to have breakfast after a shower etc. If I didn't I could easily end up in the 10's or more, despite being 5ish when I wake up.

 

[RuthieG]

If anything I tend to go high mid morning. I also have to take between 1 and 2 units before I get up as the slighest movement sends it shooting up, and I generally like to have breakfast after a shower etc. If I didn't I could easily end up in the 10's or more, despite being 5ish when I wake up.

How bizarre - I didn't know that could happen on waking
My highs had been after lunch but I have changed my ratio for then slightly and it seems to be working. It had also been creeping up first thing in the morning (not by too much but up to 7ish) but I have set my basal higher 3am-730am whihc appears to have worked as usually down at about 5-5.5 before breakfast. But around 11-12 if I didn't eat a snack I would definitely be hypo every day - no matter how perfect my morning/post breakfasts are.

And it does seem just as I get it all right my body changes without my knowledge and things shift

 

[Monkey]

Amazing! Well done, and great to hear everything's going well.